The sun rose slowly over tabular icebergs as we entered the Weddell Sea. Not long after, we were introduced to the most entertaining of Antarctic penguins, the Adelie penguin. The colony at Brown Bluff is in full swing. Most of the chicks are quite large now and require a considerable amount of food each day. We watched as penguin after penguin darted out to sea for their chick’s next meal. As we continued south in the Weddell Sea, we saw a male elephant seal resting on an ice floe and countless snow petrels. Between snow flurries, we got a glimpse of killer whales. The blowing snow shrouded their next move, and we will have to wait until tomorrow to try and find them again.
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!