Southern Ocean and Half Moon Island, South Shetland Island
Fog greeted all who ventured out early on deck in the hopes of catching some views of Antarctica. There was a stiff breeze outside, but thankfully the sea conditions remained moderate. A few seabirds were spotted, including black-bellied and Wilson’s storm petrels, darting over the waters and dragging their little webbed feet through the surface waters in search of food, leaving a miniature wake behind them.
After negotiating the tricky English Strait we enter calmer waters and visibility improves vastly. The captain nudges the bow of the ship close to the island of Aitcho, allowing us to get our first close-up views of penguins. Colonies of chinstrap and gentoo penguins are spotted all over the island. Overhead, giant petrels and brown skuas patrol the colonies, in search of any opportunity of snatching a meal. Along the coastline snowy sheathbills stand out from the dark brown volcanic rock formations, which included some neat examples of columnar basalt.
As we depart the skies open up in patches allowing sunshine through - it looks hopeful!
During the early afternoon we head up the strait between the islands of Greenwich and Livingston for our proposed landing on Half Moon Island. Along the way we enjoy the spectacular views of snowcapped mountains and glaciers tumbling down steep mountainsides to the water’s edge. It is still windy but the weather has improved markedly, with lots of sunshine now and soon enough we are speeding across the water in our trusty fleet of Zodiacs for our first landfall. There is a welcoming party of chinstrap penguins on the pebbly beach.
Once ashore we head up for the various colonies and the naturalists inform us about the lifestyle of the penguins. The chinstraps are a raucous species and there is plenty of calling and activity to be heard and seen. The colonies are set in among rock formations which are strewn with bright orange lichens, making it very scenic indeed. There are also other birds to be seen such as Antarctic cormorants, giant petrels, brown skuas, snowy sheathbills, Antarctic terns, gentoo penguins and kelp gulls.
However, it is the chinstraps which catch most of our attention: the colonies are very noisy, with the adults regularly raising their heads skyward and then calling. The brown-gray chicks are in the early crèche stage, wandering a little from their parents and some are even on their own. They look well-fed and healthy.
For those seeking a little more adventure and some exercise, there is the opportunity for a longer walk, which begins at a different landing site. It entails a walk up a loose stone beach and on to snowfields interrupted at regular intervals by patches of smaller and more compact rocks. At the halfway point of the climb we get wonderful views over the bay with the ship at anchor and the beautiful snow and ice covered mountains on Livingston Island. We then proceed further up to the high point. Some decide to sledge down a slope as part of the descent, which causes amusement and laughter for everyone. A bonus along the snow covered beach is some close-up views of resting Weddell seals. It has been a great start to our Antarctic adventure.
