Sailing In Antarctica Is Exotic
Drake's Passage lies in all its frightening glory between the continent of Antarctica and the southern tip of South America
. Drake's Passage is 400 miles wide With no land to break the squalls and colliding currents, this is the spot with the globe's worst weather on the sea.Drake's Passage is a real adventure before the adventure of Antarctica. I honestly only thought that I would see penguins and icebergs. Because I didn?t research Antarctica, I knew nothing about its geography or its history.
I didn?t know what to expect, and I certainly wasn?t thinking the continent would amaze me like it did.
Our captain and crew prepared us all for the massive storms and battering we were likely to take at Drake's Passage. However, we found the passage to be very calm.
However, the return trip provided more than enough thrills for even the most avid thrill seeker. My first morning in Antarctica was a calm one. The waters were gray when I woke up.
In the distance we could see gray tinted mountains shrouded in snow, and it was not long before we saw our first sea ice. Chunks of ice bobbed up and down like little marshmallows in a cup of hot cocoa.
I rushed out into the frigid Antarctic morning after donning the bright red parka supplied by the ship, and grabbing my camera.
We had spent the day rushing outside whenever anyone spotted a whale, dolphin, or penguin. We'd also listened to lectures the ship's naturalist provided.
Being so near the giant ice chunks was a rush; we were so thrilled to get into the little rafts on our way to shore. Soon a rocky, icy island came into view and we spotted some penguins who were sitting on the shore pondering whether or not to take a plunge.
The penguins filled the landscape and stood admirably as we took it all in. Gentoo penguins lived here alongside a committed group of researchers in this small outpost of land.
They called this Paradise Harbor. They waddle about, looking like they have things to do and people to see.
Some of the birds were just as busy watching us as we were watching them. Most penguin parents had already left their chicks to survive on their own.
Many of these kiddos were still trying to deny their predicament. The chicks like to eat krill.
They?ve had a steady delivery of regurgitated krill from their parents until just recently.
These baby penguins were molting. Some were in different stages of molt than others.
Most of the babies had cleaned up their coats, and were sporting the smooth, patterned feathers of their parents, but some still had a few clumps of fluffy gray down stuck to random parts of their body - like the tops of their heads, making them look like they were wearing fluffy hats.
As we made our way back to the ship, we navigated through some of the ice floating through the bay. One seal stretched out on top small iceberg.
He yawned at us as we passed, which seemed to say that he cared very little for our affairs. It was just the right way to end our day.
We were instantly charmed by the penguins. I think it has something to do with their waddle.
Those shockingly orange feet highly contrast the formality of their black and white feathers. The island was really more rock than dirt, so these penguins were pretty neat and clean looking.
There was even a thin little black line under their chinny chin chins that gave them a jaunty little dash of style which made their cheeks look chubby and cute.
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