Category: Antarctica
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Melchoir Islands
Day 20 – a zodiac cruise through the islands Today is our last day visiting Antarctica. It was a beautiful sunny day. The day started with just a few wispy clouds even though they are calling for some snow later in the day. We took a zodiac cruise through the Melchoir islands, including a look
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Cuverville Island
Day 19 – Gentoo penguins and a couple of channels Today we took the zodiac to Cuverville Island, which is home to some 9,000 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins and at least two Adelie penguins. We had an early start because there were strong winds forecasted for the afternoon. The smart penguins set up their
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New month, new year, new continent
Day 18 – Recess Cove, Antarctica First off, Happy New Year – may you notice God’s presence each day of 2026! I feel like an explorer. After 17 days, we finally set foot on the continent of Antarctica. The snow was very deep and so the expedition team only packed out a fairly small loop
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Yankee Harbour
Day 17 – Submarine Day There was so much happening today, it is hard to know where to begin, so I will begin with the morning. We travel in Bird Safe Mode at night so all the room darkening shades are down from dusk to at least dawn. Since the sun rises here about 2
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Sea Days
Days 15 and 16- two more days at sea with gloomy skies. At least that is what we expected. The expedition team was to launch a weather balloon on Day 15, but it was too windy so they had to postpone until today – Day 16. The crew of Octantis knows how to turn any
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Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia
Day 14 – Another sunny day and more seals We spent most of the day in Larsen Cove, which is at the front of Drygalski Fjord. We took an hour zodiac cruise in the cove. We saw all kinds of lichen and some wildlife. The rugged mountains were stunning to view in sunlight. In this
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Fortuna Bay, South Georgia
Day 13 – Cold, wet, and rainy We started the day with a Special Operations Boat ride. That translates to a 16-passenger boat that is easier to get in and out of than the zodiac. The boat ride took us around the bay. There were lots of fur seals playing in the water and we
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Grytviken, South Georgia
Day 12 – kayaking and zodiac landing at Grytviken We had sunny skies, which made for a very fun day. We started the morning with kayaking in the bay in front of Grytviken. Before beginning the experience, we donned dry suits and life jackets for the experience. We took a zodiac from the ship to
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Christmas Day – at sea
Day 10 – another sea day Today there were no mandatory briefings. Instead there were a few expedition talks and a cookie decorating session. And, what started out looking like it might be a boring day at sea, became a much more exciting day. We had our first iceberg sighting while eating breakfast, And we
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Christmas Eve at sea
Today is another sea day as we cruise to the South Georgia Islands. The people on South Georgia are very serious about protecting the pristine environment so we had another biosecurity video and clothing inspection. The real fear is Avian Flu that might be carried along and there is also concern that no non native
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