Cuverville Island & Neko Harbour
“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”
- Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
The day began early with sparkling clear vistas and the Endeavour sailed down the spectacular Gerlache Strait toward Cuverville Island. Sunrise was at 3:19am and many of the guests arose to see the lovely pink light illuminate the vast glaciers and ice fields that we passed. As we arrived at Cuverville Island about 6:30am, a group of Minke whales with a calf was seen off the ship’s bow and hundreds of Gentoo penguins rode our bow waves as we approached the island. The sun sparkled off the snow and ice and the wisps of cirrus clouds gave promise of a beautiful day.
Our first adventure was on Cuverville Island. Our Zodiacs landed us gently on the shore where we were greeted by hundreds of Gentoo penguins. Along the 650 foot high slopes of the northeastern coast of this island, thousands of Gentoo penguins nest on each of the rocky outcrops.
We had to proceed carefully to avoid breaking through the deep snow to form “post-holes” as they can be deadly traps to penguins. From an overlook, we witnessed one of the great dramas of Antarctica – a Leopard Seal in pursuit of a Gentoo penguin. The seal caught and released the penguin several times over a ten-minute period, finally finishing the hunt with a kill.
As we watched from the cliffs above, many of the passengers paddled kayaks among the towering icebergs that had formed from the massive glaciers in the area. Occasionally small icebergs broke off the face of the glaciers – shattering the silence of the morning and forming small waves that the kayaks surfed.
The views from the top of the ridges were spectacular and almost beyond the ability of our senses or our cameras to capture. The grandeur of the ice and mountains was beautifully offset by the elegance of the Gentoo Penguins – as they stoically sat on their two eggs, protecting them from Skuas and the freezing temperatures of even a sunny Antarctic day.
After a lunch that many enjoyed on the aft deck of the ship, we visited Neko Bay, a small harbour on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay. We hiked up through deep snow-covered ridges to enjoy breath-taking vistas of the bay and the many Gentoo colonies that dotted the rock outcrops. We also took Zodiac rides through the crystal clear waters of the Bay where we saw of penguins “flying” through the waters beneath our boats and erupting from the water’s edge to join their friends. We sailed by enormous icebergs that had formed from the calving of glaciers in the bay and heard and saw enormous blocks of ice fall from the ice fields to form additional icebergs and cause very small ripple waves that traveled up the bay.
For many of us on this ship, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We will miss our families on this very special day, but we will enjoy the company of our shipmates who have traveled to the end of the world to experience Antarctica. We will each pause for a few minutes as we look out on this vast wilderness and give our thanks that such a place remains on planet earth.
“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”
- Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
The day began early with sparkling clear vistas and the Endeavour sailed down the spectacular Gerlache Strait toward Cuverville Island. Sunrise was at 3:19am and many of the guests arose to see the lovely pink light illuminate the vast glaciers and ice fields that we passed. As we arrived at Cuverville Island about 6:30am, a group of Minke whales with a calf was seen off the ship’s bow and hundreds of Gentoo penguins rode our bow waves as we approached the island. The sun sparkled off the snow and ice and the wisps of cirrus clouds gave promise of a beautiful day.
Our first adventure was on Cuverville Island. Our Zodiacs landed us gently on the shore where we were greeted by hundreds of Gentoo penguins. Along the 650 foot high slopes of the northeastern coast of this island, thousands of Gentoo penguins nest on each of the rocky outcrops.
We had to proceed carefully to avoid breaking through the deep snow to form “post-holes” as they can be deadly traps to penguins. From an overlook, we witnessed one of the great dramas of Antarctica – a Leopard Seal in pursuit of a Gentoo penguin. The seal caught and released the penguin several times over a ten-minute period, finally finishing the hunt with a kill.
As we watched from the cliffs above, many of the passengers paddled kayaks among the towering icebergs that had formed from the massive glaciers in the area. Occasionally small icebergs broke off the face of the glaciers – shattering the silence of the morning and forming small waves that the kayaks surfed.
The views from the top of the ridges were spectacular and almost beyond the ability of our senses or our cameras to capture. The grandeur of the ice and mountains was beautifully offset by the elegance of the Gentoo Penguins – as they stoically sat on their two eggs, protecting them from Skuas and the freezing temperatures of even a sunny Antarctic day.
After a lunch that many enjoyed on the aft deck of the ship, we visited Neko Bay, a small harbour on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay. We hiked up through deep snow-covered ridges to enjoy breath-taking vistas of the bay and the many Gentoo colonies that dotted the rock outcrops. We also took Zodiac rides through the crystal clear waters of the Bay where we saw of penguins “flying” through the waters beneath our boats and erupting from the water’s edge to join their friends. We sailed by enormous icebergs that had formed from the calving of glaciers in the bay and heard and saw enormous blocks of ice fall from the ice fields to form additional icebergs and cause very small ripple waves that traveled up the bay.
For many of us on this ship, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We will miss our families on this very special day, but we will enjoy the company of our shipmates who have traveled to the end of the world to experience Antarctica. We will each pause for a few minutes as we look out on this vast wilderness and give our thanks that such a place remains on planet earth.
