Late last night we set sail due south, destination: Antarctica. Semi-cruising with the swell, guests, staff, and crew braved the 3–5-meter seas together. After a decent turn-out for breakfast with overall good spirits, we were introduced to our field staff team and finished the final mandatory briefings.

It was a perfect day to acclimate to the ship and digest our first tidbits of knowledge. There was a presentation on sea birds in the Southern Ocean, a biosecurity update from our expedition leader, and an introduction to smartphone photography by our certified photo instructor.

Winds were perfect for observing black-browed albatross, white-chinned petrels, sooty shearwaters, giant petrels, Wilson’s storm-petrels, and whale spouts in the distance!