The first day of 2025 was an eventful one, full of interesting adventures and insights exploring Antarctica aboard National Geographic Explorer.
Shortly after breakfast, we reached the mouth of Charlotte Bay and made a landing on the Antarctic Continent at Portal Point. We climbed up to the top of the snow fields which provided views of the spectacular bay. Throughout the morning, we had many wonderful encounters with gentoo penguins, various seals, skuas and Arctic terns. The highlight of the morning was definitely whale watching from shore. We counted more than ten humpback whales that were lunge feeding and diving for basically the whole morning.
During lunch we moved to Enterprise Island where we headed out for a Zodiac cruise around the old Guvernøren shipwreck. The story goes that this ship caught fire during a crew party in January, 1915 after a crew member bumped a burning lantern off a table. Then the ship was deliberately run aground. All 85 sailors survived but the whale oil was lost, along with ship.
After a delicious dinner back on board, we were graced with a steady snowfall and more humpback whale sightings. We’re all looking forward to another day exploring tomorrow.
