The melting snow reveals snow fall layers from many prior seasons and Antarctic abstracts.
In one small section of this coastal area we spotted varied Antarctic abstract designs. The melting snow was revealing the layers of previous years of snow, creating interesting designs. These muted color patterns in the cliffs were several stories tall.
We often saw penguins making long, arduous treks for no reason apparent to us. Where is this guy going?
On board the Greg Mortimer expedition ship we continued to cruise among giant icebergs and islands, looking for penguins and seals. The photos in these Antarctica blogs are shown in the approximate order in which they were taken. So you are seeing the trip unfold as I saw it. The best is yet to come…
Photographs similar to this are the goal of many whale photographers. The whale tail only pops out of the water when the whale is on its way down, diving deep into the ocean to feed on plankton.
The whale tail coming up and out of the water happens much less often than the more common breaking the surface for air and feeding near the surface. Seeing the tail out of the water like this indicates the whale is diving down deep to feed. All the photographers set their camera to motor drive and press the shutter down time after time and get no sign of a tail. One in 20 sightings, or so it seems, result in the whale fluke rising out of the water.
A lone penguin stretches and seems to take in the view.
Many tourists visiting Antarctica fly one way and cruise the other. That is exactly what we did. We flew from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica and cruised the Drake Passage to Ushuaia, Argentina on our return. However, just getting to the take-off point for Antarctica from Punta Arenas is no easy task. Weather conditions flying from Punta Arenas are very uncertain, casting doubt on any planned take off. The weather window must be constantly studied and adjusted. Continue reading
We visited Antarctica in March of 2024. I’ve completed a journey to all seven continents now. Whoopie! Our visit was at the end of the southern hemisphere summer cruise season, with only one excursion later than ours. Ours was a cruise full of penguins, leopard seals, more penguins and best of all, singing whales. But first, we have to get there…. Our Antarctic quest would begin by flying from Atlanta to Punta Arenas at the southern tip of Chile, then flying on to Antarctica, then cruising back to Ushuaia, Argentina.