Today was our last day of exploration in the Weddell Sea. We were lucky enough to take a Zodiac cruise around Paulet Island, where the Nordenskjold expedition was stranded with a cat. Later, we went to Tay Head, a beautiful area where we took hikes of various lengths and enjoyed lots of wildlife, including elephant seals, fur seals, Weddell seals, a colony of Adélie penguins, and a juvenile emperor penguin! Today was certainly a great day!
12/17/2024
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At Sea to the Fish Islands
Last night we bid fond farewell to Marguerite Bay and began our northward trek to the Fish Islands, crossing back over the Antarctic Circle just before breakfast. We saw Antarctic petrels and spotted our first chinstrap penguins on an ice floe! Jackie and Karson gave talks on penguins and seals, while some keen eyes were surprised to spot some floating marine debris: orange buoys. Upon arrival near the Fish Islands, we discovered the area was choked with ice, making our Zodiac plans doubtful. However, our captain, with his characteristic can-do attitude, created a path with the ship, while our Zodiac “ducklings” followed in his wake! We marveled at the variety of iceberg shapes, saw Weddell and crabeater seals, Adelie penguins, and even saw krill swimming near the sea ice edges. A fun surprise was discovering a special Zodiac offering hot chocolate! After our excursion, our ship made its way through dense pack ice, making the now-familiar grinding sounds as low clouds continued to build, creating a rather mysterious backdrop to the humpback whales we saw in an open patch of water. Indeed, after dinner, we were delighted to experience our first snowfall.
