Two days ago, adventurous travelers from all over the world gathered in Santiago, Chile, in preparation for our expedition into the Southern Ocean. We are planning to explore the Scotia Arc from Tierra del Fuego to the Antarctic Peninsula, then South Georgia and the Falklands before returning to Ushuaia, three weeks hence. The collective mood was electric as we flew southbound over the stunning landscape of the Andes Mountains, and then dropped over the Darwin Cordillera and into the airport of Ushuaia, perched on the edge of the Beagle Channel.
We embarked National Geographic Resolution yesterday evening and made fast passage through the channels and islands of the archipelago and headed south into the infamous Drake Passage. Today Neptune has clearly approved of our adventure, as we had gentle seas and mild winds and passed through the geographic triple junction where the South Pacific, South Atlantic, and Southern Oceans meet. The world’s biggest wilderness of the deep global ocean is always interesting for those on the lookout, as we’ve already seen 4 species of marine mammals and 22 species of seabirds so far during our passage. Tomorrow we will be approaching the spectacular islands and coastline of the western Antarctic Peninsula.
