So which way do we look? Fresh out of our warm state rooms we were greeted to a still day. The reflection in the sea of the majestic mountain to the port side will make a great photo. Then there’s the gigantic iceberg with two Adele and two Gentoo penguins perched on the top, and the crabeater seal lying on a chunk of pack ice. We could feel the enthusiasm that was running through us as we were taking photos that we would share with those at home.
The famous Lemaire Channel was next, so we ate our breakfast, put on our warm clothes and headed out. As we sailed southwest the wind from the north picked up, bringing sideways snow. Many of us went inside to the warm bridge where the Captain explained the intricacies of navigating though the ice. As the ocean cooled and the surface began to freeze, we observed “grease ice” forming. This soupy layer of ice plates will coagulate into a solid layer of ice as the temperature continues to fall.
Conditions improved and we heard an announcement that we were going to go Zodiac cruising. Gearing up and making our way down to the marina deck, we climbed in the Zodiacs. Weaving our way through the beautifully shaped icebergs we came upon dozens of Gentoo penguins forming a line in the water. They were “porpoising” gracefully in the water. As we continued to photograph them we noticed that they were forming a circle. Our naturalist told us that this was a form of cooperative feeding and he had only seen in down in Antarctica. The penguins force the krill into an area making it easier to feed on them. A call came over the radio that a leopard seal had been sighted. Sure enough we spotted a lone seal lying at the edge of an iceberg. We took our time watching this animal and even got to see it open its mouth showing its impressive row of teeth. Even though the leopard seal appeared to be smiling, we know that they are predators that will eat penguins, given the chance.
Thanksgiving was celebrated onboard. We were fortunate to have our galley crew prepare a delicious meal with all the trimmings and yummy desserts. Afterwards, we made a landing at Petermann Island. A new activity was offered and many of us tried snowshoeing for the first time. Hiking up the hill was much easier because we could stay on top of the snow. There was an amazing array of penguins spread out on the rocks with the dramatic black cliffs and mountains in the background. Our wonderful National Geographic photographer, Phil Schermeister, was on the trail pointing out the best penguin groups to photograph with the National Geographic Orion hovering in the background. As we wound down our snowshoe hike, the clouds started to come down on the mountains and the snow began to fly.
