South Shetland Islands
"If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of
our souls."
~Jane Goodall
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| Penguins |
Antarctica is a vast place; I’m not going to cover the entire continent all in one expedition. There’s so much to see & enjoy. None of my expeditions are exactly the same. Let the adventure unfold is the best way to put it. I do have my favorites tho & those memories do hold a special place in my heart. You got to enjoy the people who you are with to make the expedition worth wild & the highlight of your life.
I’ve been enjoying the guest, so that is always good. Of course, I’m enjoying the staff as
well. Got to enjoy all parties to
make an excellent expedition to work well. There’s no telling what I will be seeing as well. It always changes. “We brake for
wildlife” is the best way to put it.
Anything exciting we brake for.
Last night the
Explorer traveled south toward the South Shetland Islands, which are the
chains of islands that stick the furthest out from the Antarctica Peninsula,
they tend to be the cloudiest & wettest part of the continent. The larger island, Livingstone is where
we are headed. Whalers in the
early 1800’s gave the name to the island.
The southwest side of the island to a place called Hannah Point that is
named for a sailing ship that was wrecked on Christmas Day in 1820 at this
spot.
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| Elephant Seals |
This morning I attended an International Association
Antarctica Tour Operator briefing in the lounge (IAATO) basically Bud, the
Expedition Leader went over the do & don’t of what to do, what to wear
& respecting the environment talk.
Basically dress warm in layers & respect the environment when you go
to shore. Don’t be taking anything to shore besides water & don’t be taking
anything back to the boat that belongs on land. The briefing was very informative & very helpful. Also Dennis a naturalist & the undersea
specialist did the kayaking briefing with the boat ops speech too. All are very
helpful & you definitely do not want to miss the talks.
Snow days! It’s summer, but it’s truly a snow day on the
coldest & driest place on Earth.
It’s even drier than the Sahara Desert in North Africa. For the record,
I’m on continent number six; Africa is one that I am missing on my list. I’ll
get over there some day. Let’s
just say that I’m not used to the cold, this should be a wee bit of an
adjustment…
This afternoon, I did have a chance to set foot on
Livingstone where I got up close & personal with some penguins. I saw a few
different species of them. I did see some feeding behaviors as well as them
nesting & being playful. I even got up close & personal to them as well.
Also, there were some elephant seals too.
I did noticed that the weather changes quite quickly & you got to be
prepare for anything. Also with different lighting situations it’s best to
change your ISO too. Overall it’s
been a fun day! The adventure is just unfolding…sailing in the Geralche Strait this
evening…
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| Guest & Staff Enjoying the Penguins |
