Amundsen Sea, 1/13/2023, National Geographic Endurance
Aboard the
National Geographic Endurance
Antarctica
We passed by huge ice sculptures displaying blue hues as snow petrels swirled by in the lightly falling snow. Visibility is decreasing as the snowfall grows thicker.
We resumed heading towards the Ross Sea. Moments later, we spotted the extremely rare Ross seal. As if the Antarctic was giving us its blessing, we had long and close looks at this remarkable seal.
Our evening ended with a dance party in the Ice Lounge. Our very own DJ Mad Dog played rock and roll from the 60s and 70s and we let go with some never-before-seen dance moves.
For the past 20 years, Marylou Blakeslee has traveled the world sharing her love of wild places. She lectures on a number of topics from the bears and wolves of the Arctic, to the leopard seals and whales of the Antarctic, as well as the turtles and ...
Rich Kirchner has worked as a naturalist in Antarctica, Alaska, the Bering Sea, Baja and the High Arctic, including Svalbard, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and Iceland, along with other destinations. His 33 years as a professional wildlife photograp...
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Blue skies grew heavy with clouds as we spotted land. Light-mantled albatrosses, white morph southern giant petrels, and many other seabirds flew by the windows of the bridge. Macquarie Island appeared out of the mist and the endless seas. It was covered in greenery. This is the first green we have seen in four weeks of travel. Zodiacs were dropped carefully and slowly to the water, which was filled with thousands of king penguins swimming up to the ship out of curiosity. They followed us on our cruise, coming right up to the side of the Zodiacs. Their bright orange patches beamed out color in the dark water. The steep slopes of Macquarie Island held hundreds of thousands of penguins. King penguins strutted in their regal attire. Colonies of penguins spilled from upper terraces into pools of penguins at the shore. Out of nowhere, a loud call from a king penguin directly beside our Zodiac startled us. We watched in amazement. To our surprise, the air was warm. We have grown accustomed to bundling up in our warm clothes and wearing less felt strange. Macquarie cormorants popped up from the water’s surface after diving. Royal penguins mixed in with the king penguins swimming about. New Zealand fur seals slept on the beaches while southern elephant seals cozied up to each other in their wallows. Sandy Beach was a delightful place full of royal penguins. Hundreds stood in groups on the shores while others bathed in clusters around our Zodiacs. Their flamboyant yellow-orange plumage stuck fast to their wet heads. While we were outside enjoying Macquarie Island, the crew was busy preparing a Filipino dinner, which was followed by the crew show. The food was fabulous, and the talent and creativity of the crew made it worth staying up late, even at the end of this long and memorable day.
As morning dawned, we were lucky enough to have calm seas. We started the day with naturalist Mark Vogler presenting on, “The Greatest Explorer: Hubert Who?” He described the explorations of Sir Hubert Wilkins, one of the lesser-known explorers even though he accomplished a great deal. Today was a big day for our youngest guest, who celebrated his seventh birthday. He hosted a trivia quiz, coming up with most of the questions on his own (with a little help from his parents)! We had a lot of fun guessing the name of the dinosaur that roamed the Antarctic a long time ago. In the afternoon, guests presented two of their favorite photos from the trip during the Photo Talent Show. They included stories and even a poem about what led them to take the photo or what the photo meant to them. As always, the hotel department put on a scrumptious afternoon tea that was enlivened with continued birthday celebrations, including songs and a signed flag as a present. After tea, undersea specialist James Hyde gave a fascinating presentation on oceanography. The day wasn’t over! After dinner, James hosted an auction to raise money for the Antarctic Heritage Trust. All the money raised will go to the conservation of Antarctica’s historic sites, including Borchgrevink’s Hut, which we visited at Cape Adare.
Calm seas met the National Geographic Endurance like two Adelie penguins greeting after many weeks apart – it was though these two were meant for each other. Little to no wind and wave heights at just a few feet led to a rather smooth ride within the Southern Ocean. The smell of salt lingered in the air as each of us reflected on our cherished time sailing along the coast of that Great White Continent. Today was perhaps the last day we will encounter any type of Antarctic ice – but fear not; many adventures still await us as we sail towards Macquarie Island, a biological hotspot for wildlife. Alongside the ship we witnessed several new bird species of the trip. This includes the mottled petrel and the Antarctic prion, both of which most of us (including naturalists) hadn’t seen before! As we delighted at the thought of new species a call came over the speakers – humpback whales. Many were sighted off and on throughout the day to ensure everyone got good looks at them as we passed by them. Several naturalists also lead tours of our Art Exhibition onboard. Guests were invited to learn about the various artists and their artwork that hang in the hallways and stairways. A great day at sea with much merriment for wildlife and each other.
