HDS30-23, trip log, Antarctica - Polar Circle

Finally. Finally, we’re here, finally we’re getting on board, finally we’re going to Antarctica! Some of us have been waiting for years, and for some of us this is a life’s dream coming true. We find ourselves in the port of Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the world. On all the signs and souvenirs, Ushuaia is advertised as “the end of the world”. And to some extent this is true. For we are heading across the Drake Passage into a different world. A world that is unlike anything we have seen so far.

We are stepping on board the M/V Hondius, our beautiful 107-meter vessel that will be our base for the coming two weeks. The team on board welcomes us with open smiles and many of us can’t hide their excitement anymore. We get set up in our cabins and are then invited to the lounge for coffee, tea, home-made cakes and a mandatory safety briefing and drill. Chief Officer Diederik explains the most essential safety features on board and how we should behave in case of emergency. For the abandon ship drill, we all put on our beautiful orange life vests and gather at our muster stations from where we are directed to our life boats.

We leave the safe harbor of Ushuaia around 6pm. Half an hour later we are invited to the lounge for Captain’s Cocktail to celebrate the beginning of our voyage into the wilderness. The speech of our Captain Artur is accompanied by prosecco and tasty canapés. Afterwards we get to know our Hotel Manager Will and the Expedition Team. Outside the windows we gaze at the stunning landscape along the Beagle Channel, blowing humpback whales and jumping dusky dolphins. We end the day with a delicious dinner buffet, a stunning sunset and a relaxing glass by the bar.

Antarctica, here we come…

After our first night on Hondius we have our first wakeup call from our expedition leader Pippa. Today’s program starts with mandatory briefings on IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators) and zodiac operations. During this briefing we learn about the zodiac operation procedures and the IAATO guidelines on shore for the Antarctic continent.

One of our bird specialists on board, Simon, gives a lecture about the different bird species we can find on the Drake Passage. He explains how to identify species and some of the characteristics.

After an amazing lunch, we have two more lectures. Ursula gives an introduction to different whale species we might be able to see on our trip. Anthonie gives a lecture about waves, the waves we might come across on the Drake Passage and other types of waves.

The sea conditions we have today are good with wave heights between 2 and 3 meters, not bad for the Drake, one of the most notorious stretches of water on the planet! These calm conditions allow us to be out on deck safely and spot different sorts of wildlife around the ship like the wandering albatross, southern royal albatross, southern giant petrol, and the southern bottlenose whale.

Before dinner we have our first recap, where Pippa presents the plans for the next day and we receive recaps from the staff members on different subjects. Anthonie talks about the Antarctic convergence zone, where the subantarctic waters meet the Antarctic waters, creating a biological boundary to Antarctica. Esther talks about some of the history of the Drake Passage and Charlotte about some of the characteristics of the Drake Passage. Filled with knowledge we are able to enjoy a nice dinner, looking back at a superb first day out at sea.

Our second day at sea continues with relatively calm seas that most of us are now getting accustomed to. Following breakfast, Andrew introduces us to the Brushtail Penguins (Adelie, Chinstrap & Gentoo) that we hope to see in Antarctica, with his tips on how to identify each species. Then the campers have their briefing with Koen and Clara before everybody is called down to join the ‘Muck Boot Party’ – distribution of the essential foot ware for our Antarctic expedition. Lunch follows soon after – more great food, difficult to ignore. Will our newly acquired expedition gear even fit us anymore?!?

In the afternoon the bird life really picks up with our first records of Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Cape Petrel and Southern Fulmar. These are in addition to the more familiar Giant Petrels, occasional Albatross and Soft Plumaged Petrels; a few of the latter are so-called “Dark Phase” birds – an all-over dusky colored morph of the species, not often recorded. Occasional whale blows are seen. Inside we are again on our way to deck 3, this time for the biosecurity check. This is an essential, mandated procedure designed to prevent the entry of alien species that we might carry with us when we go ashore in Antarctica. At 14:50 we have our first view of land since leaving the Beagle Channel with Smith Island, in the South Shetland Island chain, appearing on the horizon, off our starboard side. We have finally arrived after two full days at sea – the rocky ice-capped island is a taste of what is to come for us. Later, an ice themed talk from Jakub about glaciers is preceded by an ice themed cone – 4 flavors, cream, sprinkles and sauce, if required!

In the evening we gather for our recap, where Pippa lays out the plans for our first operations tomorrow, including a continental landing – the highly valued 7th continent for some of us. Then a series of short, informative sections from members of the expedition team, including one on farting whales and other animals! Who’d have guessed they would have to travel all the way to Antarctica to find out that Sloths don’t actually fart! Equipped with all this incredible new knowledge we go down to the dining room for an excellent dinner. Some then retire to their cabins, others to the bar, in a state of some excitement about what tomorrow is going to bring.

Excitement is high when we arise for this long-awaited day; our first Antarctica landing! We started to see land yesterday evening as we navigated through the South Shetland Islands but had not seen the famous white continent yet. We prepare for the first day of activities which includes a landing, zodiac cruise, kayaking, and scuba diving. Portal Point is the perfect place for this! The divers and kayakers have massive icebergs to dive under and paddle around, while the zodiac cruisers have humpback whale galore. On land, the expedition team marks a route to stretch legs up and over a snowy hill to a lookout point over Charlotte Bay. The landing site has numerous Antarctica fur seals, a first for many of us. The adolescent seals are hauled out on the rocks being quite chatty while playing with one another. A leopard seal makes a brief appearance at the landing site while we head back to the ship and onto our next location, Paradise Bay.

After another delicious lunch, our afternoon activity is a full-ship cruise exploring the bay, while the kayakers go kayaking and the divers go diving. Paradise Bay is scattered with examples of the intricate relationship between ice and rocks. In the bay, the rocks peek out from beneath the snow layer soon to be warmed by the sun and expediting the melt. As we cruise along Skontorp Cove, we witness majestic glacier margins shooting to the sky with crevassed ice pillars and cliffs, only waiting to collapse within days or weeks to give birth to even more icebergs. Many visitors to Antarctica describe the fantastic scenery and cute wildlife; however, an underappreciated aspect is the sound. With a bit of sun shining on the icebergs, the sound emitted leaves all listeners in awe. Our zodiac drivers turn off their engines and drift amongst a symphony of thousands of air bubbles exploding every second; utilizing a new sense to fully experience Antarctica.

The bay’s shoreline and steep cliffs are covered with moss and lichen, one of our first signs of plant life within Antarctica. The zodiac cruisers zip in and out of the icebergs, growlers, and bergy bits looking for wildlife. Seals, gentoo penguins, and humpback whales are the main attractions of the cruise. Two juvenile humpback whales display socializing behaviours, Crabeater and Leopard seals rest on ice floats, and icebergs tower over us in the zodiacs.

Within Paradise Bay are two research stations, one Chilean and one Argentinian. On Coughtrey Peninsula sits Brown Station, home of the Argentine Antarctica Program and the oldest permanent station in Antarctica. Over 200 researchers are stationed there throughout the year and the research conducted focuses on meteorological observatory, census of penguins, and oceanographic studies. In 1984, part of the main facility burned in a fire and the station was rebuilt in 1995.

Our zodiac cruisers, kayakers, and divers head back to the ship and straight to the restaurant for another tasty dinner. But the day is not over yet, we still have our campers! The campers head to shore near Brown Station for their night on the ice, led by our heroic camping guides Clara and Koen. After a wonderful first day of Antarctica exploration, guests onboard MV Hondius tuck into their cabins and guests on shore tuck into the ice ready for a peaceful night in Paradise Bay.

Dive Log #1

We went for a first dive at Portal Point in order to get everybody comfortable with their equipment. There were medium size waves and current but also fur seals and one leopard seal encounter.

The afternoon dive took place at Paradise Bay in front of Brown Station, which is an Argentinian research base. We began at a shallow spot and went with the current along a slope which then turned into a wall. In the kelp we spotted different species of starfish, snails and Antarctic limpets.

For the campers the day starts already at 5 o’clock when they are brought back to the ship from their beautiful camping site in Paradise Bay. To their delight, pastries, orange juice, tea and coffee are served in the lounge. Those sleeping on board are greeted by Pippa’s wake up call. “Good morning everybody. Good morning. It is Wednesday March 8, cloudy with air temperature of 0° C. We are now on the way from Paradise Bay to our next destination named Damoy Point. Good morning.”

Some time later we approach the landing site where the wind is unfortunately too strong to go on a zodiac cruise. Instead, Plan B with a split landing on Wiencke Island where the guides have marked a nice and long round trail came into place. On land we enjoy the opportunity to stretch our legs passing several rookeries with Gentoo penguin adults and chick as well as the ever-present skuas. Standing on the top of the hill we enjoy a breath-taking 360° view over the Neumayer Channel, surrounding mountains and the line of black rocky peaks called Seven Sisters.

Near the landing site in Dorian Bay the freshly painted Damoy Hut offers a glimpse into living in Antarctica. From 1975 to 1993 two or three men were stationed here during the summer months to transfer commodities and research materials from supply ships to a small airplane. The Twin Otter took off from a 400 m long prepared runway to fly to the Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island much further south. The hut appears large and roomy for the team but must have been quite crowded when ten or more people had to stay when bad weather prevented flying. Photos, drawings and notes as well as clothes, labelled tin cans, cutlery and a teapot tell the story about their daily live. The hut was abandoned in 1994 when direct flights from the Falkland Islands to Rothera Station were established.

During the morning the wind calms down nicely making the zodiac rides back to the ship less wild and splashy.

Soon after lunch, during which the ship just sails around the corner, zodiacs are launched to bring us to Goudier Island. Here the Base A, one of three bases in Antarctica, was built during Operation Tabarin which ceased in 1945. In following years additional huts were built to accommodate a radio operator, cook and doctor as well as a meteorologist, ionosphericist, biologist, surveyor and geologist. While the museum offers countless historical artefacts to help to understand their lives, various modern items are offered for sale in the shop to support the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT).

Not to forget to drop the dozens of postcards written yesterday evening in the red mailbox to start their journey from the southernmost post office to beloved ones all over the world.

Those landing at Jougla Point find themselves standing beside a huge whale skeleton put together from large and small bones found in the bay. They are an important reminder of the past when thousands of whales were killed and processed on floating factory ships in the sheltered bay from 1911 to 1923. Although we started the day in challenging cold winds and restricted visibility the weather gets better and better throughout the day until patches of blue sky can even be seen when returning to the ship.

Today was an interesting day offering various insights into the past filled with unique and memorable encounters with today’s wildlife and scenery.

Dive Log #2

At a diving spot called Casabianca, which is a small island situated just around the corner from Damoy Point, a 30min dive was undertaken to a maximum depth of 10m. It was a beautiful dive amidst different species of kelp, sponges and starfish.

The number one goal for today is to cross the Southern Polar circle and head to 66 degrees South. Our expected time of arrival for the Polar Circle is 1100 meaning we have enough time in the morning for a lecture relating to what we will see often today, ice. Jakub, our resident glaciologist and researcher for the University of Poznan, presents a lecture in which he answers the ten most common questions asked regarding ice and glaciers. He explains what constitutes as an iceberg compared to a growler or bergy bit, about why some icebergs appear blue or white or even green, and answers one of the harder questions, how will climate change affect the world’s ice. Our morning feels like a true expedition, learning about glaciers while watching massive icebergs float by while we head to the Antarctica Polar Circle.

Just before 1100 Pippa invites everyone onboard to celebrate the Antarctic circle crossing with the expedition team on the bow! For most people onboard, this is a momentous experience. Our wonderful hotel department prepared hot chocolate, with or without a generous splash of rum, and whipped cream on the top. With the sounding of the ships horn, everyone shouts out with jubilee that we have made it across the Antarctica Polar Circle! For some, crossing the circle means now we have truly made it to Antarctica, to the South. Many people travel to Antarctica every year, in fact, according to IAATO, the International Association of Antarctica Tourism Operations, around 55,000 people embarked on an Antarctica trip in 2021-2022, of which only a small fraction sailed down to the Antarctic Circle. When comparing these statistics to the Arctic Circle in the North, the results help shed light on our achievement of the day. Over 4 million people live within the Arctic Circle and 2 million people cross the Arctic Circle every year. For Antarctica, there are no permanent human inhabitants, and this was MV Hondius’ first time crossing the Polar Circle this season. After fully taking in the views of Detaille Island and Crystal Sound, Hondius turns around and heads North as we still have more places to visit and wildlife to see!

A dive was planned during the afternoon in the vicinity of Detaille Island, but due to severe weather all activities including diving were cancelled.

Adam gives an informative lecture in the afternoon about supporting Antarctica science. He explains what remote field work operations entails and his role while overwintering in Antarctica. Adam worked as the boat officer for the marine team which conducted the only year-round diving in Antarctica. His lecture helps us envision the hardship of conducting research in such a harsh environment and the various jobs he has held that are required to allow science to be undertaken in the polar regions.

Today is a lecture filled day with our third and final lecture of the day presented by Esther. She tells us the intriguing story of the ‘race to the south pole’. Esther recounts the various Antarctica explorations and heroic attempts to discover something unknown. Her lecture focuses on the famous explorations from Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott, notably their competition to reach the South Pole first. Antarctica is remarkable for many reasons and the exploration history is a main reason many people are drawn to this place.

To continue the celebration of achieving the Antarctica Circle, we are treated to a happy hour and music in the bar. The evening gets even more spectacular as the ship heads into strong winds and impressive sea state. The waves are constantly splashing the bow windows, reminding us that Antarctica is the windiest and wildest of all continents; bringing an awe to all those still in the bar.

The cold Antarctic morning is greeting us with low clouds looming over Petermann Island. We are heading to the restaurant on deck 5 to have our breakfast. Pippa, the Expedition leader, has already made her wake-up call to us, but this is the morning when not many of us are really in need of it. The night was very stormy and Hondius had to fight 50-60 knots head wind and 4-5 meters high waves. If the weather conditions can be far from the perfect ones for sleeping, so there they were.

As we are having our breakfast, Hondius is approaching closer and closer to Petermann Island. We are waiting for the decision of the Captain and the Expedition leader. It comes up really fast and sadly it is not a positive one. The wind is way too strong for us to even try to land, so we are passing Petermann Island by heading to our next destination – Port Charcot.

Antarctica keeps on showing us its’ naughty character. Port Charcot looks windy but more or less good, but from time to time we are having gusts up to 70 knots and it means that we cannot land at Port Charcot either. Well, no one promised us that everything would be perfect, so we are accepting the reality with dignity and keep on heading North.

The way North lies through one of the most picturesque and impressive geographical objects of the Antarctic peninsula – the legendary Lemaire Channel! We are all getting dressed and proceeding to the bow of our ship to enjoy the beauty of the channel from outer decks. Almost a kilometer tall vertical walls of the mountains, icebergs, glaciers and the stormy weather are making an unforgettable impression on us all. It is hard to stay outside for longer than 10 minutes due to the wind, so from time to time we are hiding in the observatory lounge to get warmer and have a cup of hot chocolate.

The weather does not want to improve, and the wind is getting even stronger, but still there are some places in the area where it is possible to hide and have a wind shade from the mountains. One of such places is Paradise Harbor. Yes, we’ve already been there, but the harbor is big and beautiful, so why not to visit it again and explore some coves we had no opportunity to explore a few days before?

And here we are! Paradise Harbor looks well sheltered. One cape called Stoney Point looks good for landing. The expedition team puts Zodiacs on the water and after a short scouting Pippa, the Expedition leader gives a green light for activities.

Stoney Point does not host any penguins, but it is possible to climb up the hill and have a great overview of Paradise Harbor. We are climbing up and on the top meeting Jakub, one of the expedition guides. He is digging a hole in the snow with a shovel to show us the layers of snow and the way it is getting compacted slowly turning into a glacial ice.

The zodiac cruise is rainy, but we are having a brilliant chance to watch Humpback whales feeding right next to our boats showing their flukes and Weddell and Leopard seals swimming in the water and approaching us to satisfy their curiosity. Completely wet, but happy we are coming back onboard.

Dive Log #3

After plans to dive in Petermann Island and Port Charcot were abandoned due to unsafe weather conditions we were finally lucky at Stoney Point, where we had the chance to check out a new dive site. Two Zodiacs with divers went out. One group dove on the lee side of an unnamed rock – home of a penguin colony. The second group decided to attempt a dive around a free floating little iceberg and was curiously observed by a trio of crabeater seals. Weather and current conditions were challenging out there but all was on the right side of marginal😊

Today at 0800 we steam through Neptune’s Bellows at Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. It was named Deception Island because it looks surprisingly deceptive and looks like a complete island from afar. Until you get closer and realise there is an entrance through to a Caldera, an active volcano which last erupted in 1970. Our plan is to go to Telefon Bay, but Pippa announces there is a change of plan, and we are going to Whalers Bay instead! This is where we can witness the remains of the 20th Century whaling station where over 170,000 whales got processed for their oil. The station is abandoned today and was hit by the volcanic eruptions in the 70’s. It’s a sobering and yet intriguing place to visit. All buildings are falling into disrepair and nature is slowly claiming back the land.

It is too windy for a zodiac cruise, so we do a split landing instead, where each group has 1 hour 30 minutes onshore to explore and have a good leg stretch. The buildings of the whaling station are very impressive, the whale oil tanks and boilers are very much still intact, whereas the barracks are starting to fall apart. We can’t get too close, but we are able to have a good look and feel a sense of eeriness as these buildings tower above us. There are moulting Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins and the odd Antarctic Fur Seal sleeping amongst the buildings, occasionally growling as we walk past.

As we walk down the beach, we realise how many Fur Seals are littered all down the beach, the males either spend their time play fighting or sleeping, not a bad life. Our legs take us up to Neptune’s Window, a beautiful sight looking out towards the ocean with a view over the whole island. The last activity for us strong hearted souls is the polar plunge! It has to be done, so we whip off our clothes, run into the cold, brisk ocean and quickly run out again. We are driven back to the ship by our fantastic Expedition Team and warm up with a cup of tea and a warm shower.

That was our last activity of the trip before we cross the Drake Passage, we hear it’s going to be a ‘Drake Shake’, so we all batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst. Pippa presents a fascinating lecture on Antarctic Whaling followed by Koen on the Evolution of Penguins. The waves are starting to pick up, so it’s an early dinner for us and then off to bed to dream about Penguins and Whales as the roll rocks us to sleep.

Dive Log #4

Deception Island is a very particular dive site as one descends into the caldera of an active volcano. Conditions again weren’t easy as the first ten meters of water are murky with a visibility of less than one meter. Once we arrived below this layer the view opened up and what appears is a whale graveyard. A lot of life. Isopods and other small crustaceans are still feeding on the bones and we were able to get a glimpse of the decomposition process. A dark and spooky place. Maximum depth was 17m.

As predicted by our daily dose of weather maps at recap, we awake out-at-sea, heading straight into one of those dreaded ‘Purple Monsters’ that we normally do our best to avoid but this one is directly between us and Ushuaia and unfortunately after this great trip we are starting to head back north across the Drake Passage.

It isn’t so bad though with most of us taking it in their stride like the professional seafarers that we profess to be now; a steady stream of passengers making their way up to the bridge to film the obligatory sequence of spectacular and dramatic waves crashing wildly over the bow of Hondius and soaking the bridge windows. After some practise everyone learns when to press record after becoming proficient at predicting which approaching waves will make the biggest impact on the ship and therefore the most impressive footage!

Throughout the day there is a fine selection of lectures and entertainment to immerse ourselves in with Elizabeth talking about the important work that goes into classifying the status of the worlds wildlife species and how this aids in conservation measures, Sasha, in his unique style describes his own journey to Antarctica, David Attenborough talks about some amazing wildlife sequences in Antarctica (unfortunately in documentary form and not here in person!) and in the evening, compere Anthonie presents a lively Antarctica based quiz based on our own travels (why do people always mistake the baby photo of Adam for Ursula?!)

Out on the high seas, observations are limited but did include a nice selection of pelagic birds such as Wandering Albatross, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross, Soft-plumaged Petrel, Common Diving Petrel and Black-bellied Storm Petrel while an always welcome pod of Hourglass Dolphins entertained, briefly from the bridge.

The famous Drake Passage is quite an experience this time! Today the waves are not quite as high as yesterday, but we’re still experiencing a proper drake shake as we approach the southernmost tip of South America with the decent speed of around 11 knots. After a little sleep in and a nice breakfast, we make our way into the lounge to listen to Ursula’s lecture on remarkable hunting strategies in the animal kingdom. It’s unbelievable to see how some predators work together to catch their prey! This really interesting topic is followed by more ice talk from Jakub – none of us would have ever thought that there is sooo much to learn about ice and its’ importance for the world’s climate!

After a nice lunch buffet, we are invited by Andrew and Simon to join them outside on deck where we have a bird watching session together. The sun is shining and as we slowly approach Tierra del Fuego, we feel how Cape Hoorn is sheltering us and the swell gets less. The afternoon is filled with some mini lectures on different topics, among them an insight into the ship’s kitchen by our Chef Ralf.

We are getting closer to the coast again as we are approaching the Beagle Channel, we are starting to see land. The closer we get, the more the movements of the ship calm down and we are invited to the lounge for our Captain’s Farewell Toast. We all raise our glasses to an unforgettable journey and the wonderful time we all had on board. A big round of applause goes to the Bridge, the Expedition, the Hotel and the Housekeeping Team. We are grateful for all their hard work that has so crucially contributed to making this such an amazing experience for us all.

After a beautiful last dinner aboard our beautiful expedition ship Hondius, many of us gather in the lounge where the music is playing, and Rolando and Angelina are mixing the last drinks for this voyage. We are enjoying each other's company, exchanging contacts and sharing photos and experiences.

One last wake-up call from Pippa. Our bags are packed when we head down for breakfast one last time and we are getting ready to disembark our dear Hondius that has taken us to one of the most beautiful places on earth. On this remarkable journey we crossed the notorious Drake Passage twice, discovered the beauty of the Antarctic Peninsula, spent “another day in Paradise (Bay)”, dived, camped, kayaked, sailed through multiple storms, and went beyond the southern polar circle! What an extraordinary achievement! This trip has given us a glimpse of life in these remote and sometimes inhospitable places. We have encountered amazing wildlife, made new friends, learnt, and experienced so much together. We will all take home different memories of our voyage, but those memories will stay with us for the rest of our lives! This was our expedition.

In the name of Oceanwide Expeditions and all crew and staff aboard Hondius, we want to thank you all for travelling with us. It has been an absolute pleasure for us to share this unforgettable experience with you!