Drake Passage, 12/16/2017, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
After an inspirational week in Antarctica, we are northbound today. Although not quite a “Drake Lake,” the Drake Passage is uncharacteristically calm which helped us find some killer whales en route. These were no ordinary killer whales though. We sighted the least known of all killer whales, known as Type-D or sub-antarctic killer whales.
For as long as he can remember, Conor has always been preoccupied with the natural world, from the whales to the fungi. For most of his life he has been an islander: growing up in Cobh, Ireland and settling down in Tobermory in the Hebrides, Scotland...
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After an absolutely breathtaking expedition south of the Antarctic Circle complete with four separate killer whale sightings, too many humpbacks to count, breathtaking bays filled with ice, and sea ice filled with resting seals of all types, we set our heading north. The Southern Ocean was kind to us as we sailed through calm waters and rainy skies. During our day at sea, we kept busy with lectures from the expedition staff, an afternoon watercolor workshop, a presentation about the ship by Captain Heidi Norling, and a tour of the engine room. As the sun dipped lower, we celebrated the culture of many of our crew family with a Filipino dinner followed by a crew performance. It was a cracking day at sea!
National Geographic Resolution spent the day surrounded by icebergs and sea ice in Crystal Sound as the weather got sunnier throughout the day. Guests experienced Detaille Island during the morning activities. Everyone went on guided Zodiac rides around the island where we saw numerous crabeater seals and icebergs. We stopped to observe an Adelie penguin colony, including dozens of penguins waiting to jump in the ocean. Many people went on shore to see the historic research hut from 1956-58, including all the original canned food and equipment kept in pristine condition. Some guests climbed the snowy hill to see the top of the penguin colony across a deep ravine. In the afternoon, the ship cruised around Crystal Sound so we could see the sea ice, glacial icebergs, and huge tabular icebergs. There were beautiful blue sea caves and arches in many of the icebergs, as well as dozens of crabeater seals on the sea ice. However, two humpback whales stole the show when they appeared in the sea ice near the ship. We could hear their loud exhaling and see them diving up close. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, enjoying a presentation, cocktail hour, recap, and dinner as the sun showed brightly in the west. What a perfect day to end our awesome week in Antarctica.
This was a day, a very memorable day, during which guests enjoyed a visit to a former Antarctic research base, a cruise through the icebergs and tabular flows in Marguerite Bay, and, to top it all off, set foot on mainland Antarctica. Firstly, our morning visit was to historic British Base Y, Horseshoe Island. It was an active British research base in the 1950’s where four to ten men occupied it for the purpose of meteorological, geologic, and bathymetry scientific studies. This base is well-preserved in terms of how the occupants lived and worked while completing their research. Following this informative visit, the National Geographic Resolution hotel department arranged a wonderful BBQ on deck 8 to take advantage of the fair weather. In the afternoon, we visited Bottrill Head which is located in Bourgeois Fjord on the west side of Graham Land. This was a landing that allowed guests to spend time enjoying a beach walk on the Antarctic mainland. After this landing, our navigation took us through Marguerite Bay where tabular ice floes and glacier-derived icebergs were numerous and spectacular.
