Technically I have started writing this post on our busiest day thus far. Just barely. Pictures and videos will have to wait – way too many for me to go thru and upload!
My sister started the day by going out on the science zodiak and working with other guests and some of the science team of phyto plankton. Meanwhile, my mom and I went on an SOB and got to see lots of chinstrap penguins! We were fortunate to once again have Dennis as our guide. On the way back, our SOB pilot (believe his name was Kevin), headed to deeper water to see if there were any whales around. There was – we got to see a humpback whale’s fluke (aka tail).
Upon returning to the ship, I got mom settled up in her room and returned to the midship to wait for my sister. Once she returned from the science trip, we headed out on a zodiak for our next landing. Even as we pulled up, there were plenty of chinstrap penguins to be seen! We also saw some seals on shore. We were briefed that the landing was going to be slippery, and it was a partial water landing. But the crew is great helping everyone in and out of the zodiaks.
We decided to not stay the entire allotted time, because we had our kayak scheduled at 1pm, and we would need to change and wanted to get a bite to eat.
For the kayak, we needed our base and mid layers, and then upon getting down to the midship area, we got into wet suits, booties and life jackets. Thank goodness for my sister’s assistance! We then boarded a zodiak and went out to the kayaks. Of the 4 couples in our zodiak, we ended up being the last to get on the kayak, and it went easier than the test on ship. We paddled around (and yes there were a few times we bumped into each other). We got to see some seals, and there were some penguins around. At the end, they had us all line up in our kayaks and took a picture (will add later). Then we had to get back from the kayaks to thr zodiaks. That was definitely challenging, but we were successful!
I then had to back upstairs to do a change to add my boots and extra layers on, so that I could go on a science zodiak as they deployed the hydrophone. It was led by Brandi, chief scientist, and Jessi. We went in search of whales so that we could drop the sensor over to listen. We never heard them but it was very clear that there were humpback whales around. My phone has a ton of photos that will need to go thru when I get home. Towards the end of tour time, there was a humpback that passed right in front of the bow of our zodiak. The engine had been, and of course, did remain off as the whale popped up near us. I didn’t get a picture, but a woman next to me got a video that she shared. Truly amazing!
But the day wasn’t over yet! At 845pm we were invited to head to deck 6, to watch as they launched a weather balloon from deck 7. Then we headed to expedition central (which conveniently is on deck 2 where our rooms are) to watch the data come in, and to have Brandi explain things. There were a few questions that came up that I was able to provide some insight into. The balloon burst around 11 pm, and there were still a couple of us there. It’s now approaching 1230am, and it’s time to get some sleep. One more day in Antarctica with a landing in store!
