Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Position at 08.00: 64°46.6'S, 063°27.1'W.
Weather: ENE 9/10; Snow; Rough sea; ‐2°C.
Neumayer Channel - Gerlache Strait - Neko Harbour.
Early this morning we awake in Port Lockroy. As the wind has picked up during the night, the Captain decided to manoeuvre the ship into the shelter of Port Lockroy. By dawn the weather has not improved at all: Gray skies, low clouds, hard wind and horizontal snow unfortunately make the otherwise very scenic Neumayer Channel almost invisible.
Spotting whales in this weather proves pretty much impossible. The wind speed in the Gerlache Strait reaches 48 knots! As such, instead of going straight for Anvord Bay (plan A), Pablo decides to divert first into Paradise Bay and this proves to be the right thing to do. The mountains around the bay provide some shelter and as we enter the depths of Skontorp Cove the wind dies down. Several Minke whales are spotted in the bay. Two whales even surface next to the ship, providing a good view for those of us eagerly watching from the upper decks.
Despite the low clouds, the steep glaciers surrounding Skontorp Cove prove fascinating to watch as we sail by. Plancius proceeds on toward Andvord Bay, passing the Chilean station at Waterboat Point en‐route. The weather in Anvord Bay seems to deteriorate quickly, but as we approach Neko Harbour we become ever more sheltered and the weather proves good enough to make our first landing on the real Antarctic continent.
Neko harbour is named after the whaling factory ship Neko, which worked in the bay until 1924. This little bay is known for the surges which can occur when ice calves off the nearby glacier. If this happens, we are urged to run for high ground right away! Thankfully this isn't an issue today and as soon as the first zodiacs are in the water the first of two Leopard seals are spotted. On the beach the last representatives of the local Gentoo colony welcome us. Most penguins have already left for the winter to forage at sea, with the remaining penguins still in various stages of moulting. Frits leads a group up the snowfield behind the colony and the energetic bunch is rewarded with a spectacular view over Andvord Bay at the top.
Neko Harbour also provides an opportunity for the crazy ones amongst us to partake in the 'polar plunge'. Quite a few of us defy a water temperature of almost ‐2°C and dunk ourselves into the frigid water. Thankfully towels are on hand and shuttles back to Plancius are quick to commence while the brave ones are trying to get some feeling in our feet again! Pure torture!
The weather has improved so much by this stage that we were able to fit in a zodiac cruise before dinner. We cruise between the icebergs and brash ice of Andvord Bay in search of wildlife. Soon the first Minke whales and Humpback whales are spotted. In the distance some humpback whales are even seen breaching. Our zodiac - guided by Louise- prefers to watch quite a fascinating horror scene instead as down on the beach a Leopard seal caught several penguins in the water. We are 'lucky' to witness this spectacular display close up and see a poor penguin being ripped into pieces and almost thrown into our zodiac... time to leave now as we get quite an aggressive stare from the leopard seal who does no longer seem to appreciate our presence.
While cruising along, several crabeater seals are spotted and we follow them while they try to find a nice piece of ice to relax. We are treated on a nice playful interaction with three of the crabeater seals and conclude this is one of the most spectacular zodiac cruises so far, not in the least because of the beautiful colours and surrounding scenery!
After 1 ½ hours we have to return to Plancius in order to start steaming towards tomorrow's exciting destination: Deception Island!
- comments