PLA31-19, trip log, Antarctic Peninsula—Whale Watching

So here we are at last in Tierra del Fuego, at the bottom of the world. Well, from Ushuaia we’ll be going south … a long way south. But for today, we ambled about this lovely Patagonian city, savouring the local flavours and enjoying the sights. Ushuaia marks the end of the road in Argentine Tierra del Fuego, but also the beginning of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. During the summer, this rapidly growing frontier town of 55,000 bustles with adventurous travelers. The duty-free port flourishes with tourism but also thrives on a sizable crab fishery and a burgeoning electronics industry. Ushuaia (lit. “bay that penetrates to the west” in the indigenous Yaghan tongue) clearly benefits from its magnificent, yet remote setting. The rugged spine of the South American Andes ends here, where two oceans meet. As could be expected from such an exposed setting, the weather has the habit of changing on a whim. For many of us this is the start of a lifelong dream. The excitement comes in different forms for each unique person, but even the most experienced of us feels genuine excitement to depart on a journey to the Great White Continent of Antarctica. Slowly we started making our way to the gangway and, at 4 pm, we started to board our ship MV Plancius, home for our Antarctic adventure! We were greeted at the gangway by members of our Expedition staff who sent us on board to meet Hotel and Restaurant Managers, Michael and Alex. We were then checked into our cabins with the assistance of our fabulous Filipino crew. A little before leaving the harbour, we convened in the lounge on deck five to meet First Officer Francois, who led us through the details of the required SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) Safety and Lifeboat Drill, assisted by the crew and staff. We had been prepared for our actual safety drill and on hearing the general alarm, we reconvened at the “muster station”, the lounge, for the mandatory safety briefing and abandon ship drill donning our huge orange life jackets that will keep us safe should the need arise. Finally, we left Ushuaia and the harbour to head towards the Beagle Channel. The few of us who adventured outside for the departure had a beautiful view of Ushuaia, even with the rain and the cold temperature. We went back to the lounge where Michael gave us an overview of the ship, a floating hotel which will be our home for the next 10 days or so. He was followed by Katja who gave us more information about the upcoming days. After that, all the expedition staffs introduced themselves and we had the chance to learn a bit more about their background and their specialties. This was also a chance to meet our Captain, Artur Iakovlev and toast our voyage with a glass of Prosecco. At 7:30 pm, we sampled the first of many delicious meals on board, prepared by Chef Khabir and his galley staff. This first evening on board was occupied with more exploration of the ship, adjusting to her movements, and settling into our cabins. In the early hours of the morning we will be out into the open waters of the Drake Passage!

This morning, we woke to Katja’s cheerful morning announcement, the first of many pleasant, wake-up calls informing us of our position, the temperature and local conditions. The Drake Passage offered up delightful bluebird skies and calm rolling seas, a gentle introduction to the open ocean which saw most of us feeling well enough to file into the dining room at 8 am for a delicious buffet breakfast. While some of us opted to spend the morning in our cabins acclimatizing to our new floating home, many joined Hans in the lounge to learn about some seabirds of the Drake Passage. Hans began by introducing us to the art of bird-spotting: a combination of harnessing the power of our eyes and understanding how to share bird locations by using our ship as a clock face! It was fascinating to learn about the identifying features and physiology of some of the seabirds we hope to encounter, including a wide variety of albatross, and to see some photographs of these marvellous creatures up close. Now we are well equipped to go out on deck and spot seabirds for ourselves! After a delightful buffet lunch, we began our afternoon program of mandatory briefings and activities to prepare us for our time in Antarctica. First, we joined Katja in the lounge to hear about how we can minimize our impact on this pristine and precious continent during our visit, giving the wildlife plenty of space and ensuring that we leave no trace. Katja also talked us through the basics of Zodiac operations, from boarding to disembarking these stable, open boats that will take us from Plancius to shore, and on cruises to search for wildlife. Then we began the serious business of pre-Antarctic biosecurity, with the lounge converted to an impromptu vacuum party as we removed stray seeds or weeds from our clothing. It wasn’t long before our gear was spick and span and ready to visit the great white south. The rest of the afternoon was passed collecting our cosy rubber boots, relaxing and enjoying the glorious sunshine and calm conditions in the Drake Passage. We finished our day with a recap and briefing in the lounge, and are looking forward to tomorrow, each sea day bringing us closer to Antarctica!

Today is the second day of our Drake crossing towards Antarctica. The situation is quite a contrast compared to yesterday’s sunny and still weather. Overnight, the wind has picked up and sky is now overcast. The visibility is limited due to fog. Lucky for us the wind is northerly and pushes us forward. The ship rolls gently in the waves and this is still considered a calm ocean. Only the lower decks are closed just in case a large wave rolls over the decks. After breakfast Katja gave a presentation about Antarctica, touching a large range of subjects from exploration history to sea currents and from icebergs to the ozone layer. We now also know the difference between land ice and sea ice and for instance that Argentina had some people being born the continent while other countries do their best to prevent that from happening at their research stations. After lunch Marijke told us all there is to know about penguins. We learned about their behaviour, breeding cycle and how to recognize the different species by their appearance and sounds. Later in the afternoon, Sonja talked about whales of the Southern Ocean, focusing on the species we are most likely to see during this trip. By the end of the day the wind decreased a little. By this time, we were near Smith Island in the South Shetlands. This was when the first iceberg of the trip was spotted. A large tabular iceberg shrouded in its very own fog bank. It has been on and off foggy for most of the day which didn’t help spotting whales. Despite the conditions a number of humpback whales were seen as well as a small group of hourglass dolphins. Tomorrow we will find ourselves in Antarctica and near the first landing site at the Antarctic Peninsula.

Our first excursion off the ship! We were getting everything all together this morning, both zodiac cruising and also a shore landing. The first six boats dropped their passengers on shore, then returned to the ship to pick up the second group of passengers for a zodiac cruise. The cruising action started straight off the bat with humpback whales waiting at the gangway as the first attraction! And it didn’t stop there. This is a busy time of year for leopard seals with all the juvenile penguins just learning to swim and leaving shore for the first time. One leopard was viewed playing and eating on a fresh kill, and then there were several giant petrels picking at a leftover carcass floating out in the bay. There was even a “cute” juvenile leopard seal hauled out on an ice floe … but then there were a couple of not-so-cute adults that got very curious and intimate with a couple of zodiacs—closely swimming around the boats and then unexpectedly one bit the rear pontoon of one and the keel underneath of another! This is an active time of year and certainly their top-of-the-food-chain hormones were showing themselves in this behaviour. The whales were not to be set aside, however, they were quite social and spending lots of time cruising closely to a couple of zodiacs, what amazing wildlife behaviour experience we had for the morning! For the landing, everyone was excited stepping ashore on Cuverville Island—the first glimpses of (live) penguins up close and personal. The gentoo did not disappoint, going about their daily rhythm of feeding, bathing, squabbling, flipper flapping, and all sorts of other antics. Walking through the snow along the red-pole-marked route took us to a viewpoint over one penguin rookery where we could also see the Plancius drifting out in the channel. Watching the late-season dynamics of rookery life was interesting—some nest building practice as well as some attempts at courtship behaviour … maybe more practice now means a better mate option next season! The other side of the landing offered a shore-side view of colony life, with many newly moulted chicks having a bathing session, perhaps trying out the water for the very first time. They seemed to like it, getting in and wiggling around and chatting to one another the whole time. Even though a leopard seal was seen patrolling the outer area of the beach it seemed that the shallow water and band of brash ice were protection enough for the youngsters to have a relaxed swim session. In the background, the adult moulters just looked miserable in their solitary spots higher on the beach, as if they had “been there done that” and just wanted to get the whole process over with. The skua flying overhead and calling to each other up on the cliff-sides were a reminder that it’s not too late in the season for them to score a meal … the few smaller, still-downy chicks might still become a skua snack before the winter sets in for good. Turning back around to the beach to watch the freshly moulted chicks again, we were treated to a special show. It began to snow, big fat flakes—and what a sight! The chicks didn’t seem to be sure what was happening. They all were looking upwards at the sky, looking at the flakes, poking their bills here and there … and then started trying to catch the snowflakes … just like when we were kids! One chick even fell over it its exuberant attempt at grabbing a snowflake out of the air. With the change in weather it was time for everyone to return home to the Plancius, for a hot drink, a good lunch, and to get ready for the afternoon landing on Danco Island. Just around the corner and down the Errera Channel we went, and everyone came ashore for the land-based afternoon adventure. Many folks were keen to try out the snowshoes for hiking up the hill, others were content to stay closer to the beach and have some quiet time watching more of the gentoo channel on the “Antarctica Live” channel. For one couple, their special quiet time included getting married on the beach! Not many people can say they had gentoo penguins in attendance at their wedding ceremony. For the majority, however, Danco was all about a hike up the hill. The snow was fresh and the hill was steep. Luckily there was a nice viewpoint and penguin rookery halfway up, providing a nice overview of the ocean below, the beautiful bands of ice, and the misty craggy mountains in the distance. Further up the hill, the next point of interest was a wide penguin highway, which even this late in the season was still seeing quite a lot of action with penguins going down to feed or bathe and others coming back up the hill fresh from a wash or with a gullet full of krill for their almost-grown chicks. Because of the fresh snow, some of the downhillers seemed to find tobogganing easier than walking (especially when being chased from behind!) which provided a lot of entertainment for the humans standing by to watch. Finally, at the top of the hill we found a welcome flat spot to rest, catch our breaths, and take in the scenery. The fog came and went, adding to the mystique of our surroundings. As people settled in after taking their “hero” photos, one by one the silence descended until finally all we could hear were the gentoo calling, the skua screeching, and whales blowing in the distance as we looked out over the calm, icy waters below. But the afternoon wasn’t over yet. What proper way to end the first Antarctic day but with a polar plunge?! Back down to the beach we did that crazy thing that will end up being one of the most talked about events of the whole trip. How can you explain what it’s like to take off perfectly warm clothes (layers and layers of them!) when it’s just a few degrees above freezing, and then with (mostly) sound mind and bodies walking (running?) into literally freezing water to take a dip. Who does that?! But now those hardy plungers have photos to prove it, if not the memories of the brain freeze that occurred after they dunked their heads. And then it was done, staggering out of the water on the uneven boulders underfoot, to dry off and get clothes on as quickly as possible. But once the adrenaline was flowing, many probably didn’t feel as cold as they’d expected … especially not after once back on board with a hot chocolate in hand. What a way to end our first day. People were buzzing at the bar where we were going to meet together for recap … but the whale activity was so intense around the ship that we postponed our get-together to enjoy watching. It was hard to know where to look, humpbacks were literally surrounding the ship. Quite an incredible day. It was all Michael could do to get folks to go to dinner, but with the fine food on offer from Khabir and team people finally let their stomachs get the better of them and headed to the dining room to share stories and highlights from the incredibly eventful first day in Antarctica.

Our second day in Antarctica brought even more highlights. Soon after breakfast we entered Paradise—Paradise Bay that is, aptly named for its stunning scenery of snow-capped mountain tops, glaciers reaching down to sea strewn with icebergs and bergy bits. As Plancius drifted in Ferguson Channel, we set out in zodiacs to set foot onto the Antarctic continent for the first time. The first group landed on Stony Point, a snow-capped outcrop that afforded spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and sea. A friendly Weddell sea welcomed us ashore. After a short but invigorating snowy hike up to the top of this snow dome, we then enjoyed five minutes of silence, taking in the beauty around us. As this was a split landing some of us landed first while the second group had set out to explore the ice-strewn landscape by sea with the zodiacs. We cruised among majestic icebergs, drove through crackling brash ice and watched seals along the shore and on the ice floes. A few lucky ones even got to spot a minke whale up close. The calm sea reflected the icy scenery giving rise to stunning mirror image reflections of sky and sea blending into one. We had lunch as the Plancius set course towards Gerlache Strait. Then came the call of “Orca on portside” over the tanoy system and the dining room was emptied pretty quickly as everyone scuttled for coats and cameras. The orca (or killer whales) moved in two small groups along the glacier fronts. As the water was shallow and uncharted where the whales moved the Plancius had to stay a way off in the safe navigation channel. Still, everyone got a good (if distant) look, and those with binoculars spotted the large dorsal fins of two males and also a very small calf. There was a tremendous buzz of excitement aboard. Plancius once again changed direction and moved into iceberg filled Andvord Bay where the Captain had to dodge many big icebergs en route to our afternoon landing site at Neko Harbour. This was another continental landing, and again it was a spectacular location, surrounded by an amphitheatre of actively calving glaciers. There was a lot of ice on the way to the landing site but our expert zodiac drivers managed to push through and put us ashore where Gentoo penguins and beautiful female Weddell seal awaited us. The walking was a bit challenging as the snowy path soon became slippery. Some of us managed to venture up the snowy slopes along a path marked by staff. The views were once again stunning, but very soon the wind began to howl and the snow to swirl around us. We slithered, hopped and slid down the hill again, certainly nowhere near as elegant as those determined Gentoo penguins that they're making their ways up and down the snowy slope. This full Antarctic experience was topped by the rumbling of avalanches from the snowy mountain tops and even a few small calvings of the glaciers nearby. We returned to the comfort of the Plancius with a big smile on our frozen cheeks. As the Plancius sailed out of Andvord Bay more seals on ice, more sleeping humpback whales and even a distant beaked whale sighting were reported by the avid student observers on deck. During recap Katja, our Expedition leader, informed us of a small change of plans in that we would have to head north now to avoid some bad weather closing in on us. The snow had started to fall in thick flakes and the outside decks soon turned completely white. We went to bed full of anticipation of more Antarctic adventures tomorrow.

Today, Plancius woke up early to the voice of our Expedition Leader Katja. The morning was beautiful with soft light that reflected on the different icebergs you could see in the bay. After breakfast, a visit to Portal Point was scheduled. Portal Point was used by the British in the 1950s as a base for survey works into the interior of the Antarctic Peninsula. There, dog sledge teams were able to make their way onto the slope. The expedition team planned for a split landing: one group for landing and one for a Zodiac cruise, halfway through the morning the groups would be swapped. Upon arrival a scout Zodiac tried to reach the beach that turned out to be littered with ice after some strong swell. The program was changed into a Zodiac cruise to enjoy the icebergs and wildlife around. During the Zodiac cruise, several Humpback Whales and Crabeater Seals were seen feeding in the brash ice. Some of us were lucky enough to get some really close encounter with these beautiful creatures, when they were spy hopping around the zodiac. The students from St Andrews were taking CTD and Ceccie-disk measurements from the zodiac and other passengers were able to help them with that. Upon the return to Plancius, Laura presented, in the Lounge, the Geology of Antarctica. A talk about the geological history of Antarctica and the different types of rocks that can be found on the Antarctic continent. As Plancius approached Cierva Cove a small pod of Killer Whales was found by the students on observer watch. The captain was able to bring Plancius nearer to the pod and several animals were seen swimming in the wake of our vessel. In the middle of the afternoon, Plancius had arrived at Cierva Cove. On the other side of the bay, there is an Argentinean base called Primavera that is only open during summer. This wide bay, with several icebergs and brash ice, is created by multiple glaciers feeding into the area. The islands in the bay are full of wildlife, with both Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins breading here. These colonies attract birds like Southern Giant Petrel, South Polar Skua and Kelp Gull. Along the shoreline Leopard Seals and a Weddell Seal were seen patrolling. Also, we saw hundreds of Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins porpoising around the zodiac. The soft light of the end of the day increased the different tones of blue visible in the different icebergs present in the bay. After two amazing cruises, at 6 pm, we were all back on board Plancius for an Antarctic BBQ on the aft deck. All enjoyed the food in these Antarctic surroundings and some danced into the night. In the night Plancius set a course for the South Shetland Islands, North of the Antarctic Peninsula for a last landing in Antarctica!

This morning we sailed over slightly choppy seas under steely skies towards Half Moon Island. Our hope, if the weather allowed, was to visit this crescent shaped island, nestled within a curve of the larger Livingstone Island in the South Shetland Islands. This would be our last landing of the voyage, but the weather forecast looked questionable. At breakfast, the dining room was filled with excited chatter as we waited for the verdict. Around 8:30 Katja made the announcement: the landing would go ahead! We donned our warm layers, waterproof jackets and pants, life jackets and rubber boots for one last excursion and filed towards the Zodiac boarding deck. It was a lively Zodiac ride to shore, with gusty winds making for an atmospheric introduction to this island chain to the north-west of the Antarctic Peninsula. By the time we arrived at the beach, the sun was peeking through the clouds, bathing the fur seals, gentoo penguins and us in warm morning light. An old water boat lay decaying on the beach, a reminder of a bygone era when sealing and whaling were thriving industries in the South Shetland Islands. However, as we learned later, the origin of this boat is unknown and was probably used for resupplying vessels. Today Half Moon Island is spectacular, with low-lying, stony beaches and rugged, craggy towers decorated with brilliant orange lichens and lush green mosses. Home to chinstrap penguin colonies, visiting fur seals and gentoo penguins, snowy sheathbills and - if we were lucky - the occasional macaroni penguin, there would be plenty to see! Katja and the team offered several options for exploration. Some of us walked along the gentle slopes and rocky beaches towards the Argentinian Camara base, an assortment of orange buildings in the lee of a small hill. Others opted to stretch their legs on a longer hike past Camara base, across snow patches and moss-covered hills in the distance. These intrepid hikers were rewarded with spectacular views across the island, revealing how Half Moon got its name. The rest of us wandered up past a small chinstrap penguin colony, crossed a busy penguin highway (careful to give the commuting penguins right of way!) and made our way to a second chinstrap penguin colony perched on a rocky knoll. It was a joy to watch these spunky penguins hop and leap homeward or out to sea, to hear their brash calls and witness them going about their daily lives. Unexpectedly - and much to our delight! - a macaroni penguin arrived on the island during our visit. Known as a regular visitor to this chinstrap colony, the macaroni penguin has a bright pink bill and striking yellow crest. We left Half Moon Island on a high with the wind in our hair, fresh air in our lungs and a third penguin species sighting to celebrate. Returning to the ship, it was time to batten the hatches for our crossing to Ushuaia. Before heading to the Drake Passage, we had a last encounter with some beautiful fin whales that came swimming near the ship. With high winds forecast on the Drake Passage we had a few hours to dine, shower and prepare our cabins for two days of stormy seas. Of course, this forecast wouldn’t interrupt our lecture schedule, and in the afternoon many of us joined Katja in the lounge to attend her fascinating lecture on climate change. The day finished with our customary recap and briefing, and another delicious meal from the wonderful team in the galley!

After having left the South Shetland Islands yesterday, we are now on our first day of the Drake crossing back to Tierra del Fuego. Yesterday afternoon, the forecast for the next two days looked pretty daunting with three low pressure areas passing through. Already during that evening the wind pick up a bit and the ship rolled and pitched through the night. So, in all honesty, a log entry for today was pre-written. However, things change. This morning the wind had dropped quite a bit and just an ocean swell with a wave height of 4m was left. Many people came out for breakfast, but the movement of the ship clearly took its toll. Jos presented a lecture on the life on McMurdo Station in the Ross Sea and Scott-Amundsen station at the South Pole. She has an impressive number of seasons under her belt and can provide us with good insight in daily life, all sorts of practicalities like travel and waste handling, and the social skills required in a closed community like a wintering crew. During lunch suddenly the wind dropped almost completely and the ocean was shrouded in fog. This often happens on the Antarctic Convergence. A quick check on the bridge confirmed that the sea water temperature indeed went up from 2°C to 4°C (35.6°F to 39.2°F). We have now officially left Antarctica. From the wildlife front there are no spectacular sightings to be reported but birds came to the ship regularly. Albatrosses like grey-headed albatross, light-mantled sooty albatross and black-browed albatross were seen, as well as some wandering albatross. Smaller birds included prions, southern fulmar and many species of petrels. Some hourglass dolphins came to the ship but stayed only briefly. In the afternoon Sonja gave a talk called ‘seals for science’ where she introduced two seal explores, elephant and Weddell seals, and the technology used to study them. Those deep diving mammals collect unique information about their environment during their normal foraging exploits and collect data on ocean currents and processes affecting ice shelf stability. By the end of the afternoon the wind picked up as expected. We now have some 45 knots wind and we could feel the swell in the dining room during diner time. The forecast for tomorrow again predicts some wind but we’ll see.

It is already 8 am, and for the last morning of the trip in the Drake Passage, we are woken up by Michael voice that told us it was time to get up and go for breakfast. It was a bit of a rocky night with ship rolling quite a lot. It is our last day at sea and we will try get the most out of it. However, the wind is strong and most of us decided to safely stay in our cabin. However, the blue sky and the shining sun encouraged a few people to go up to the bridge. After breakfast, some of us gathered in the lounge to look at the horizon, read a book or sort out all the photos they took during this adventure. It brought up a lot of memory and made us realized that this trip is coming to an end. Even with the wind picking up, at 10:30 am, Katja presented her experience with overwintering in Antarctica for 15 months at the German base, Neumayer. It was fascinating to hear about the experience of someone that spent such a long time in this cold, but beautiful, environment. For some us, it made us which we could do the same and the others were glad that our trip only lasted 9 days. After that, we had a bit of time before lunch and we stayed in the lounge or outside on the bridge to try to spot some albatrosses, whales and maybe dolphins. Finally, Michael called us for lunch and we all went down in the dining room enjoying our last lunch on Plancius. The afternoon went slowly with no lecture planned. Because the sun was shining and the swell was getting smaller most of us enjoyed some time outside up on the bridge or in the lounge. As we made our way in the entrance of the Beagle channel, we could spot several type of bird species like black-browed Albatrosses, Giant petrel, Cape petrel… However, most of us were waiting for some peals or hourglass dolphins to break through the surface and start playing with waves at the bow of the boat. Around 3 pm, we were rewarded by a group of Dusky dolphins coming in front of the boat. What a nice show! Some Sei whales we sighted not much later and we managed to get some good views of this for us new whale species. Later in the afternoon the expedition team called us by deck to bring back our rubber boots and rental gear. This was another step towards leaving the ship tomorrow. At 6:30 pm, we began our farewell with Captains cocktails followed by a slideshow presentation of our trip that had been compiled by Nina. We enjoyed a smooth evening in the bar before going to bed at the end of our Antarctic expedition. After picking up the pilot at 7 pm, and a leisurely sail into port, we arrived at the pier in the middle of the night.

In store for us this morning was a dry landing onto the dock—and a different kind of journey ahead—involving planes, trains, and automobiles instead of ships, zodiacs, and kayaks. The last 9 days have taken us on a remarkable adventure to Antarctica and allowed us a glimpse of life in this remote and sometimes inhospitable place. We will all have different memories of our trip but whatever the memories, whether it was the gentoo penguins at Danco, the massive glaciers from Neko or the sight of zodiacs surrounded by ice and whales, they are memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Total distance sailed on our voyage: 1625 Nautical miles (3010 km or 1870 mi) Furthest South: 64 °54’S 062°55’W On behalf of everyone on board we thank you for traveling with us and wish you a safe journey home.