At Sea
It is hard to believe that our Antarctic adventure aboard the National Geographic Endeavour is almost over. It seems like just yesterday when we walked up the gangway for the first time in Ushuaia, and now after 10 days the ship has become our home, sharing experiences with new found friends and jumping into Zodiacs as naturally as navy seals. Antarctica is a distant enigma now, the remaining physical elements being the occasional piece of ice, and the pintado petrels that glide around the ship.
One of the greatest characteristics about Antarctica is its unpredictability. We have been consistently surprised on this expedition by the sheer numbers of penguins we have encountered, the innocence of the wildlife, the peaceful “singing” of the Weddell seals - the list goes on. Although we are out of sight of land, we are still within the physical boundaries of the Antarctic, and she still has one more surprise for us this morning, a group of about 20 Humpback Whales. These whales have most likely been off the coast of Brazil for the austral winter, birthing and mating, and now have traveled the thousands of miles down to Antarctica to feed. The water here is rich with the planktonic animals they crave, and today we were able to watch them lunge feed, and dive for their breakfasts. Quite often the question of whether the whales are bothered by the ship comes up. Today this question was clearly answered, as with our ship at a dead stop in the water, the only movement our slow bob up and down, we had several whales come over to investigate us, swimming gracefully next to our hull, rising to the surface to breath before diving below the waves again.
The waters of the Antarctic are some of the richest in the world, creating an environment for water borne animals to live, feeding off the smaller water borne animals. All of these planktonic creatures are also beneficial for the benthic community (those animals that live on the sea floor) as their waste products, along with bird waste products and other detritus, create food for the bottom dwellers. Many of these benthic animals have various forms of tentacles to catch food from the water column, and use modified hairs to transport it down into their mouths.
What a day in the water’s surrounding Antarctica! Although vastly different from land, the open sea still offers just as many surprises and wonders, and we leave the decks excited and breathless. Who knows what tomorrow will bring as we leave all the boundaries of the Antarctic, entering into a whole new ecosystem niche surrounding Southern South America.
It is hard to believe that our Antarctic adventure aboard the National Geographic Endeavour is almost over. It seems like just yesterday when we walked up the gangway for the first time in Ushuaia, and now after 10 days the ship has become our home, sharing experiences with new found friends and jumping into Zodiacs as naturally as navy seals. Antarctica is a distant enigma now, the remaining physical elements being the occasional piece of ice, and the pintado petrels that glide around the ship.
One of the greatest characteristics about Antarctica is its unpredictability. We have been consistently surprised on this expedition by the sheer numbers of penguins we have encountered, the innocence of the wildlife, the peaceful “singing” of the Weddell seals - the list goes on. Although we are out of sight of land, we are still within the physical boundaries of the Antarctic, and she still has one more surprise for us this morning, a group of about 20 Humpback Whales. These whales have most likely been off the coast of Brazil for the austral winter, birthing and mating, and now have traveled the thousands of miles down to Antarctica to feed. The water here is rich with the planktonic animals they crave, and today we were able to watch them lunge feed, and dive for their breakfasts. Quite often the question of whether the whales are bothered by the ship comes up. Today this question was clearly answered, as with our ship at a dead stop in the water, the only movement our slow bob up and down, we had several whales come over to investigate us, swimming gracefully next to our hull, rising to the surface to breath before diving below the waves again.
The waters of the Antarctic are some of the richest in the world, creating an environment for water borne animals to live, feeding off the smaller water borne animals. All of these planktonic creatures are also beneficial for the benthic community (those animals that live on the sea floor) as their waste products, along with bird waste products and other detritus, create food for the bottom dwellers. Many of these benthic animals have various forms of tentacles to catch food from the water column, and use modified hairs to transport it down into their mouths.
What a day in the water’s surrounding Antarctica! Although vastly different from land, the open sea still offers just as many surprises and wonders, and we leave the decks excited and breathless. Who knows what tomorrow will bring as we leave all the boundaries of the Antarctic, entering into a whole new ecosystem niche surrounding Southern South America.
