12th January - Penguins, Seals and Icebergs

Not so early a start today as we are now in the last group to go out. We are at Prospect Point, another site of an old UK Science Station, this time Station J, also abandoned in 1959. 

We are here for the Adelie Penguin colonies nesting with the Antarctic Shags, all in the Fish Islands at Prospect Point on the Velingrad Peninsula in Graham Land,. The Zodiac team takes us to the nesting sites, where we see lots and lots of penguins many with chicks. In between are the Antarctic Shags also with chicks, these a lot larger. The chicks are the grey ones for penguins or the "no white" ones for the shags. 😁

After our penguin / shag looking, we head for the landing on the Antarctic continent itself. Yesterday was only sheet ice so doesn't technically count. We are very lucky to see a calving of ice from the glacier. Sorry no pictures but makes our landing just a little bit more difficult with the ice now moving because of the wave and a lot more icebergs. A path is cleared and we get to land. Off for a photo opportunity, a quick look at the foundations of the old station and back on the Zodiac to get out if the ice. It is slow but we get there and then off back to the ship for lunch.

On return we found that Ted was about ready to get stuck into the wine!

This afternooon is another Zodiac adventure looking at the fantastic ice sculptures that are ice bergs and seeing if we can spot some seals. We have moved to Holtedahl Bay, an area filled with icebergs of differing shapes, sizes and blue hues. The odd one has that deep blue of thick ice or ... a seal. But we hear the call of  "there she blows" and we are off "hunting" whale. There are a couple of humpback whales in the bay and our afternoon is filled not with seal, but with whale.

I have now stepped upon all 7 continents. To me an achievement. It doesn't mean that I have visited all or a large ountries, but I have been able to experience a diverse number of cultures and there are still many to be tried. Many happy travels to come.

Today it has snowed on and off all day and we had the heat wave temperature of 1.2degrees celsius. But it is worth every second to be able to see what is on offer and to be able to experience it with such great company.