Salty winds swept our faces as we navigated the infamous Drake Passage south through the night and awoke to a multitude of seabirds gliding above the rolling waves of our wake. As we made great speed thanks to our officers onboard National Geographic Orion, there was much to do during our first day cruising over average depths of about 11,000 feet (3,400 meters) within the passage. After becoming acquainted with our spirited expedition staff, we dove right into our first educational presentation familiarizing us with the seabirds of the southern ocean by naturalist Larry Prussin. Our team of young explorers met with naturalist Gabriela Roldan to brainstorm some fun ideas for the upcoming week as others, some equally young at heart, joined our photo team in the lounge for an introduction to expedition photography. Cameras at the ready, wildlife surrounded our ship this afternoon. Large albatross with impressive wingspans put on a show off the back deck while a pod of fin whales and later some dusky sided dolphins stole the show! At one point, the southern fin whales were right next to the port side of the ship! The whales stayed alongside of us for a while, likely diving down to feed on some tasty Antarctic krill as they followed a similar route south to their seasonal feeding grounds for the Austral summer. Large circular water resembling an oil slick, called “footprints”, could be seen behind the tails of the second largest whales in the world, however, these cetaceans rarely show their flukes before submerging their 89 ft (maximum) bodies.
While onboard today, we reacted to the rolling waves differently, continuing to sail towards our destination of Antarctica, 600 miles south from Ushuaia. Some sang for joy in anticipation, a few party animals enjoyed the bubbling hot tub, others sought a horizontal positioning for the day, and we all could not wait for our final destination and first glimpses of penguins! Our expedition leader Dr. Peter Carey delivered an informative lecture on just such penguins and their incredible lifestyles and adaptations to their icy homes.
Those interested in cross-country skiing, if we should find the proper fast ice (ice that is holding fast to the coast line as a sturdy platform for this sport) were outfitted with boots, poles, and skis. After a fun-filled day and a delicious dinner, photography and binocular enthusiasts met upstairs to test some of our top of the line gear we have through the B&H rental program. At the end of the evening we rested our heads, filled with dreams of penguins and ice, in cabins stocked full of expedition gear, eager and ready for our first landing tomorrow!
