Tag Archives: adventure

Polar Plunge: Jumping into the Antarctic Ocean

Leave a reply

polarplunge-1

Standing on the edge, I wasn’t at all worried. Seeing people go before me and coming back relatively unscathed, it was calming knowing that we wouldn’t be completely frozen when we got out. Then, the countdown began – 3… 2… 1… and before I knew it, I had dove into the water – arms out in front of me with my head following closely after. The impact of the water was a little bit of a shock, but suddenly, all the cheering and clapping vanished. It was silent, and all I could hear were the bubbles I had created from jumping in. I opened my eyes and all I could see was a vast darkness below me. Above me, the glow of a cloudy Antarctic day beckoned. At least there wouldn’t be any confusion as to which way to swim, right? I swam back up to the surface, and it was only then that I felt how cold the water was. The whole thing probably took only a few seconds, but the memory of this experience will last me a lifetime.

polarplunge-2 polarplunge-3

And into the freezing waters we go…  Continue reading →

What Never Gets Old? Seeing Whales in the Wild

Leave a reply
Orcas in the distance

Orcas in the distance

Sighting of a pod of orcas! There’s just something about the mere mention of orcas that sends everyone flying out to the decks with cameras in hand. Forget jackets (okay, jackets are pretty important in this part of the world) – there is a thrill of seeing them that cannot be explained. The ship even stopped and turned around so that we could get a better view of the whales. They know what the people want to see!

On deck, waiting for a glimpse of the whales

On deck, waiting for a glimpse of the whales

Continue reading →

Antarctica’s Meditation Rock: The Perfect Vantage Point

Leave a reply

meditationrock-4

What a sacred place. The view from the rocks gives us the perfect vantage point. You can hear the penguins calling out, but what captures me the most is the glaciers. Occasionally, you’ll hear fracturing of the ice. A large crack, and boom. And if you’re lucky enough, see the ice break off and crumble into the deep blue waters below, with such ease as well – like sand falling within an hourglass.

meditationrock-5

The sunlight is hitting the adjacent mountains, emphasizing its every peak. The thick clouds have given way to reveal an impossibly blue sky. There is no sense of time here – an ideal location for self-reflection. Continue reading →

Camping in Antarctica! Wait, What?

Leave a reply

Getting right to work setting up camp before the light fades

We’re camping out on the ice! Arrived on land before 7:00pm and were immediately put to work to set up camp – shovels were being passed out and slowly, groups of people got together to dig their homes for the night. We had to dig a hole, level the snow, and build a small wall in the direction of the wind to block it from freezing us in the night.

We’ve got lots of penguins near the shore, and a lone seal keeping us company. There is a chance that more seals may appear throughout the night, and we should be able to hear ice breaking off the glaciers and hitting the water, but what I’m most excited to hear is the sound of Antarctica. The silence.

It sounds too crazy to be real, but we did it. After camp was set up, we had the night to ourselves. Did a little bit of stargazing, and once all traces of the sun had disappeared from the sky, we just sat and enjoyed the moment. The number of stars visible was incredible. Continue reading →

Iceberg Alley & Port Charcot

Leave a reply
View from the zodiac

View from the zodiac

Today, we went through Iceberg Alley – what a treat! These giant structures floating effortlessly in the water… magnificent. Wildlife were also abundant today, with the sighting of leopard seals, crabeater seals, gentoo penguins, minke whales, and all sorts of birds. It was truly a pleasure to be allowed to experience this habitat as it is.

Couldn’t decide on just a few photos, so here’s nine more of some of my favorite shots from the excursion. Continue reading →

Lemaire Channel: Surrounded by Stunning Scenes

Leave a reply

Sailing through the channel, we have spectacular glaciers surrounding us on either side. As the sun was rising, the sky had beautiful orange-red colors, highlighted by the clouds.*

lemaire-1

Continue reading →

Existing Alongside Penguins: What They Don’t Tell You

Leave a reply
Gentoo penguins. Lots of them.

Gentoo penguins. Lots of them.

I’m currently surrounded by gentoo penguins. Made our first landing today – what an adventure! When we first got to the island, the smell of penguin poop was overwhelming, but having been here for over an hour now, the smell is still there but somewhat tolerable. It’s all quite amazing – seeing all these penguins here in their natural environment.

mikkelsen-3

See that snow behind me? It’s not white for a reason.

More cute penguin pictures >> Continue reading →

Antarctica: Land Ahoy!

Leave a reply

landahoy

Land ahoy! Just on the horizon is Smith Island. Also caught sight of our first iceberg. Not long now before we arrive and make our first landing on the Antarctic Peninsula. Continue reading →

Our First Glimpse of Orcas

Leave a reply

orcas-1

What a rush! A few minutes ago we heard a message over the intercom system – “We’ve just been told orca have been spotted at 11 o’clock, port side. ” I was napping at the time, but as soon as I heard the announcement I put on a hat and raced outside. Sure enough, the orcas were there, and I managed to get just one picture before they disappeared into the water (above). I’ve seen orcas at water parks before, but the experience is completely different when seeing them in the wild.

The usual scene whenever whale sightings were announced – it was always a race to see who could get the best view

The usual scene whenever whale sightings were announced

Continue reading →

Sailing Through the Drake Passage: No Turning Back

1 Reply

sailing-drake-1

Throughout the night, I could hear doors slamming shut and large items falling to the ground, but it wasn’t too bad. The drawers in my closet kept opening, and I could hear the hangers in the closet moving from one end to the other.

sailing-drake-3

Standing out on the deck, for as far as the eye could see, it was open water – no turning back now.  Continue reading →