After hanging out with the Gentoo Penguins in Neko Harbour and getting all of the ice out of our clothes from the slide down the mountain, we headed out towards Petermann Island. As we passed through Paradise Bay, we caught a glimpse of what we believe is Almirante Brown Base (named after Admiral Guillermo Brown, the father of the Argentine Navy). The base burned down in 1984, but was rebuilt. It is only occupied during the summer.
Almirante Brown Base
On the way, we got to see some pretty massive and unique icebergs. Like clouds, some of the shapes looked like different objects. Can you spot the lion or the mushroom?
Vegetable?
What's that look like? Roar!
As you can see, icebergs come in all shapes and sizes. As we all know from the Titanic, icebergs can pose a serious hazard to ships. As a result, the U.S. National Ice Center was formed to monitor icebergs and warn ships. The National Ice Center uses satellite data to monitor icebergs near Antarctica. However, it only tracks icebergs larger than 5,400 square feet. Often times, it's the smaller icebergs that pose the biggest problems to ships because they are harder to spot.
Icebergs being tracked by the U.S. National Ice Center
We also had a number of animals escort us to the next stop. The first was a pod of ORCAS! (also known as "Killer Whales"). Most people consider killer whales to be, well, whales. However, they are actually part of the dolphin family. They are considered apex predators. In other words, they are on the top of the food chain and have no predators of their own. In fact, there was a recent national geographic video about a orca taking out a great white shark! (see that video by clicking here)
Unfortunately, I only got a few shots of one before I lost track of them. I'm really glad I brought my zoom lens, otherwise I wouldn't have even gotten these shots. They were on the move... maybe on the hunt!
The next animal to escort us to our destination was a group of whales. I think they were Minke Whales, but not sure. They were certainly baleen whales because they had two blow holes (see picture below). The whales decided to nestle up against the ship, so we got some pretty good shots. Unfortunately, they didn't breach (shoot out of the water). Seeing a whale breach is a truly awe-inspiring thing!
Baleen whales have two blow holes
Bye for now... watch out for those killer whales!
As we approached the LeMaire Channel and Pittermann Island, we saw some pretty magnificent ice shelves, caves and even a waterfall.
Ice caves
Waterfall
Close up of the waterfall
As we arrived at our destination, we some strange movement in the water. What could they be?
If you guessed penguins, you were right! We were kindly escorted by some Gentoo Penguins. Their slowness on land is certainly made up for in the water. They are fast!
When penguins leap out of the water it is called porpoising
The Gentoo's took us to Petermann Island - our next stop for the day!
After travelling through Andvord Bay, we nestled at the bottom of the bay in Neko Harbour. The coordinates for Neko Harbour are 64°50’S 62°33’W.
Neko Harbour is named for a whaling ship which anchored there in the early 1900's. It is one of the rare places in the Antarctic Peninsula area where one can come ashore on the Antarctic mainland. In other words, we officially stepped on the great continent of Antarctica!
As soon as we landed, we saw a couple of small icebergs that had washed ashore and Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis Papua) everywhere!
Some of them decided to take a swim (see video below). They move much better in the water.
Gentoo Penguins are known by their orange bills, long tails and white stripes across their head like little bonnets. You may recognize these penguins as the same species used in the film Mr. Popper's Penguins.
They are the 3rd largest type of penguin (the Emperor and King being the first and second largest species). They are the fastest swimming penguins, reaching speeds up to 35km per hour! They sure love the water... (bottom left) They're natural enemies is the Orca Whale and the Leopard Seal. During our visit we even saw a albino Gentoo Penguin... very rare (bottom right)
Hanging out in the water
Albino Gentoo Penguin
Many of the penguins were molting when we saw them (see top right picture). A penguin's feathers are extremely important for keeping them warm and dry in this harsh climate. Over time the feathers wear down at which time the penguins push out new feathers (called molting). Unlike other birds, a penguin molts all his feathers at one time. They often look like warm fuzzy pillows.
Molting is a 3-stage process. During the 2nd stage, they are no longer water proof, so they stay on land and do not hunt for fish or krill. They usually try to bulk up before they molt.
Molting Gentoo Penguin
Gentoo Penguins only breed in snow-free and ice-free areas. They typically like to inhabit pebble beaches which they use to build their nests. A Gentoo Penguin community is called a "rookery." Gentoo Penguins tend to form long-lasting bonds with their mates. When the mother lays her eggs (two at time), the parents take turns incubating the eggs for more than a month. Hatchlings remains in the next for up to a month and the parents alternate in protecting the nest and foraging for food.
A little shy
Daddy and child in the nest
Hatchling walking around... needs a bath!
The glaciers surrounding Neko Harbour are incredibly active and often create very impressive but dangerous waves when the glaciers calve, so we were told to move to higher ground immediately. Calving is when a large block or mass of ice breaks away from a glacier. These blocks of ice that break away are what form icebergs. While hiking around Neko Harbour, we heard quite a few big booms which typically precede a calving event, kind of like thunder before lightning.
After spending some time in the rookery, we decided to hike up the mountain side. We were clearly out of shape (me more than Sue).
The expedition team put up flags and cones for us to follow. The climb was full of very dangerous crevasses, so we had to be extremely careful.
Do not go past this point!
At some point this cliff will likely break off from the glacier
When we got to the top, the view was worth it!
Once we were done taking in the view, we had to get back down. We decided that it would be faster to simply slide down the mountain. It was fast, fun and out of control! Check out these videos.
Sliding down the mountain was much faster. Although I did get a little snow burn on the way down!
The Hero3 GOPro camera on top of my head gave a rather unique perspective of my trip down the mountain.
After we climbed the rest of the way down the mountain, we got the opportunity to see the rarest penguin of all... the Sue Penguin!
We went back to the boat and headed through the Lemaire Channel on our way to Petermann Island.
