Antarctica (12-22 January 2016)

Well we’re back in Ushuaia after the most amazing trip to Antarctica.  It’s almost impossible to describe in words except for WOW, but we’ll do our best!

Stage one is crossing the Drake Passage – 1000km between Argentina and Antarctica and the first item on the packing list - motion sickness tablets!   Our crossing lasted 67.5 hours (longer than it should have been) as we experienced 6-8m seas and 92-102km winds (keeping most people in their cabins).

 The Bridge on the boat is open to the passengers and that makes for a pretty special viewing spot, up there along with the captain and his crew.  The crew are amazing and obviously very adept to getting around a moving ship. Prior to arriving in Antarctica we had lectures/learning sessions on the penguins and seals we might see and a bio-security session that covers the rules for Antarctica, what you can and can’t do – effectively leave only footprints and take only memories.  We also received instructions on how to get on and off the zodiac boats for landings were issued our rubber boots and our life jackets and then one final bio check which was to vacuum all our outer gear – bags, pants, jackets and gloves to ensure that no seeds/grass or other unwanted organisms make it onto the ice.

As mentioned it’s hard to describe the first time you stand on the Continent. We walked up over a small snow mound that revealed the most amazing sight – icebergs, penguins, mountains, snow and glaciers all in one vista and 1000 times better than any picture can capture.

From here the ship navigates various channels and we disembark twice a day for either a landing or a Zodiac cruise. The cruising also included breaking through two ice shelves, the second one being at least 2 metres thick and 400 metres wide.  The ship has the highest ice breaking classification although the thick ice stopped us twice and we had to back out and approach from a different angle.

The deeper south we go the better the views, the immense size of the mountains and glaciers surrounding us is nothing short of amazing and often find ourselves totally surrounded by giant glaciers that are easily 5-6 times the height of the ship (which is ~7 stories high and 92m long).

The deeper south we go the more ice, the temperatures are reasonably constant around 2 degrees with the variable being the wind chill.

On our way back north we visited a couple of the Shetland Islands, the first being Deception Island.  Here at Whalers Bay there is a well preserved old, and famous, whaling station. 

Antarctica in review:

Antarctic Continent – all land mass and ice shelves 60 degrees South

More ice and glaciers than you can ever imagine… 84% of the worlds ice

We have seen / done:

Three types of ice – Sea, Glacier and ice shelves

Four species of penguin – Gentoo, Adelie, Chinstrap and Macaroni

Four species of seal – Leopard, Crabeater, Weddell and Elephant

Three specials of whale – Minky, Humpback and Orca

Many species of bird including Albatross, Giant Petrel, Skuas, Antarctic Swallows and Blue eyed shags.

Eight landings – two on the Antarctic Continent and the other 6 on Islands within the Peninsula

Three zodiac cruises

Each day was amazing, and at the end of those days we couldn’t imagine that they would get any better – and they did. 

Best moment     – first landing on the Continent and walking over the hill to the most amazing vista

Worst moment  – crossing the Drake Passage in the first 24 hours (6-8m waves) and seasickness

Most special       – Neko harbour and its serenity

Most surprising – the ship sailing through and breaking a 2m thick, 400m wide ice shelf

Weird moment  – having to transfer zodiacs in the middle of Andvord Bay after the fuel line broke

Simply just WOW...