Guests were invited to enjoy a diverse range of presentations throughout the day. Lisa began by sharing her personal journey and experiences in developing the art of visual storytelling. After a short disembarkation briefing, Ezra gave us a comparative glimpse into Scott and Amundsen’s South Pole expeditions and the factors that may have influenced their very different outcomes. After lunch and perhaps a bit of a catnap, afternoon presentations included an overview of the seals of the Southern Ocean by Shell. Mike finished off by sharing the history of Antarctic diving along with a bit of show-and-tell of the gear he and Jason use to capture the stunning underwater images and footage they have shared with us this trip. Recap continued with lively offerings from the team, including geomorphology, krill, and even a wool-spinning demonstration before we headed to dinner.
12/25/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Barrientos and Half Moon Islands
Merry Christmas from National Geographic Endurance which just arrived in Antarctica! It is not a bad Christmas morning when the first thing one does is step foot on the Antarctic Continent to be greeted by penguins! After a day of sailing, we arrived at the South Shetlands and made our very first landing at Barrientos Island. Already at the beach, we saw gentoos and chinstrap penguins, that seemed to be awaiting our arrival. It was only a short walk to the colonies and there we could see penguins laying on their eggs and even a few recently hatched chicks! After the great make-your-own-pasta-bar lunch, the next activity was a landing at Half Moon Island. There we chose between a long or shorter hike to get a Christmas Day leg stretch and see even more penguins. After a busy day of outings, it was time for the first recap of the journey and then finally Christmas dinner, where the Christmas buffet awaited guests with some of the best food there is. Today was definitely a Christmas Day to remember!