Yesterday our expedition leader laid out the plan that breakfast and wakeup call was at 7 am. Sounded just right! Well, as National Geographic Resolution sailed towards Dalgliesh Bay and the intended landing site of Bongrain Point, there was a public address by Andy, the expedition leader, at 6:30 am. Sunshine, beautiful icebergs…and orcas!...and humpbacks! And this was all before breakfast! We had beautiful views of the animals right off the bow of the ship.
As we went ashore at Bongrain Point, a vibrant Adélie colony met us. The chicks were almost ready to crèche, large enough to huddle together and let the parents go feed. The second half of the excursion we went for a Zodiac cruise. We saw numerous seals and gained a newfound appreciation of the art of nature in the form of icebergs.
A sunny Antarctic BBQ awaited us on deck 8 as we returned to the ship. The hotel team exceeded our expectations, as always.
As if this day wasn’t amazing enough, we headed out in the afternoon to visit the historic British Antarctic Survey Base on Horseshoe Island. We had a guided tour with our naturalists onshore, including a tour of the house which was still in great condition thanks to the British Antarctic Heritage Trust.
Our day ended with an inspirational movie by our visiting scientist, Volcanologist, Emma Nicholson.
