We awoke to a calm morning, protected from the winds on the island of Isla de los Estados. For our morning exploration, we headed to the southwest side of the island and nosed into a small and narrow channel once carved by glacial advance. We spent our time cruising in Zodiacs through the fjords and gawking at the sheer height of the rhyolite cliffs which harbored countless Magellanic cormorants and Andean condors. Like true explorers, we weathered the wind and rain to get up close views of towering waterfalls before warming up in the shipboard saunas. In the afternoon, we cruised back to mainland Argentina looking for sea life and enjoying a special wine tasting with our afternoon tea.
12/23/2022
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The Weddell Sea
This morning, we were woken up at 5:00 a.m. Over the intercom, our expedition leader’s calm voice let us know that over thirty killer whales were surfacing around the boat. Weary-eyed and full of wonder, we all watched in the absolute stillness of the morning as over five groups of killer whales hunted and frolicked around the bay. Some chased penguins, and others seemed to be enjoying family time with their youngsters. After breakfast, we went ashore on Devil Island to enjoy an Adelie penguin colony amidst the bergs. Some of us hiked up the ridgeline, and some of us stayed along the beach. We were all treated to lots of calving icebergs as the tide continued to lower throughout our morning operations. In the afternoon, we set foot on the peninsula proper and explored Bald Head. Many Weddell seals and gentoo penguins frolicked on the beach while we hiked over the hill to the overlook. Along the hike, we found two mummified seal carcasses and stopped to admire their amazing teeth, which have adapted for eating krill.
