Morning came early, and lots of us met the sun as we stood on the decks to admire the reflections on the ice and the completely calm sea. Captain Aaron and his amazing bridge team had parked us just next to the ice, and we opened the penguin doors and adventured out for an ice walk!
Earlier, we spotted the Holy Grail, the emperor penguin. Our hopes were high for more close encounters, and the penguins showed up for a visit! They were very comfortable around us and spent some time waddling around to our delight! The sky was perfectly blue, and the sunshine kept us nice and warm. It was a dreamy experience. A few crabeater seals were scattered on the ice, and it was wonderful to get a better look at them. We all wore smiles on our faces!
During the afternoon, we continued cruising amongst the beautiful icebergs of the Weddell Sea, slowly making our way to the north and heading towards the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The day wasn’t over. Just as the sun started to set and as we were finishing our dinner, the bridge team ushered us out on the decks to observe a pod of about twenty orcas in front of the ship. What a way to end this amazing day!
