A very nice Drake Passage day: bright, just enough wind to get the big birds aloft and lots of wildlife. We have been having intermittent sightings of humpback and fin whales. The very tall, straight blows of the fin whales are particularly impressive. We are also having many bird encounters including a surprisingly large number of light-mantled albatross.

As nice as the day is, I’m occupied with repairing dive gear, editing undersea video and thinking about our recent voyage to Antarctica. There is something special about diving on a sunny Christmas day in Antarctica. While many of our shipmates were getting warm from paddling kayaks, we were preparing to dive in the icy water of The Wall at Paradise Harbor.

The visibility underwater this voyage has been less than spectacular. We are at the inflection point between the clear water of autumn and the rich planktonic water of summer. Right now we have the beginning the algal bloom, the thick browns and greens of microscopic algae, the phytoplankton. Their populations are exploding until the water looks like a thick beef broth. Not a disappointment, more like a miracle – it is these algae that support almost all life in Antarctica. In a couple of weeks their voracious predators will catch up and clear the water. Until then, it is catch-as-catch-can for the underwater videographer, but there is still plenty of bright stuff down there to amaze and delight!