The Bransfield Strait, Useful Islands & Paradise Harbour
Time spent cruising by ship or Zodiac in Antarctica provides an ever changing vista. The weather in Antarctica rarely stays the same for long. Wind speed influences sea state, producing dramatic angry seascapes or glassy calm reflective moods. Changes in cloud cover and time of day conspire to alter the intensity and quality of light, and can change the colour of the ocean from a threatening grey to a deceptively 'tropical' blue.
The coming and going of the clouds also reveals previously lurking landscapes, a seductive striptease, gradually revealing what we know is hidden and have waited to see. And then out come the cameras to capture the moment. Ice has many faces. The flat floes of sea ice can cover a little or the entirety of the ocean ahead of the ship, presenting the Bridge Officers with a unique navigation challenge. Icebergs formed from glaciers or ice shelves can look completely different from opposing angles. An arch, a lounging seal, resting penguin or a solis blue pool may be hidden from view, only to emerge as we look back having passed by. Sometimes simply passing by cannot do full justice to the beauty of the iceberg and we resort to driving the ship around an iceberg in circles, as the Captain did today, to fully appreciate these natural sculptures from all the available angles.
And the wildlife also adds to the scene at sea in Antarctica. Today we visited with a pod of killer whales. About ten animals in total, including two very young animals, they seemed at first indifferent to our approach and then curious, approaching the side and then diving under the ship providing awesome views from the deck rails. The clicking of shutters does not simply record the event, but can also contribute to studies of these animals. Killer whales can be individually identified by a combination of notches in the tall dorsal fin and the pattern of the pale grey saddle patch. By contributing our images to the Antarctic Killer Whale Identification Catalogue a thrilling encounter may add something to the scientific knowledge about their movements and life histories.
Time spent cruising by ship or Zodiac in Antarctica provides an ever changing vista. The weather in Antarctica rarely stays the same for long. Wind speed influences sea state, producing dramatic angry seascapes or glassy calm reflective moods. Changes in cloud cover and time of day conspire to alter the intensity and quality of light, and can change the colour of the ocean from a threatening grey to a deceptively 'tropical' blue.
The coming and going of the clouds also reveals previously lurking landscapes, a seductive striptease, gradually revealing what we know is hidden and have waited to see. And then out come the cameras to capture the moment. Ice has many faces. The flat floes of sea ice can cover a little or the entirety of the ocean ahead of the ship, presenting the Bridge Officers with a unique navigation challenge. Icebergs formed from glaciers or ice shelves can look completely different from opposing angles. An arch, a lounging seal, resting penguin or a solis blue pool may be hidden from view, only to emerge as we look back having passed by. Sometimes simply passing by cannot do full justice to the beauty of the iceberg and we resort to driving the ship around an iceberg in circles, as the Captain did today, to fully appreciate these natural sculptures from all the available angles.
And the wildlife also adds to the scene at sea in Antarctica. Today we visited with a pod of killer whales. About ten animals in total, including two very young animals, they seemed at first indifferent to our approach and then curious, approaching the side and then diving under the ship providing awesome views from the deck rails. The clicking of shutters does not simply record the event, but can also contribute to studies of these animals. Killer whales can be individually identified by a combination of notches in the tall dorsal fin and the pattern of the pale grey saddle patch. By contributing our images to the Antarctic Killer Whale Identification Catalogue a thrilling encounter may add something to the scientific knowledge about their movements and life histories.
