https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/home daily 1.0 2024-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/09e4fdcf-5b9e-4bf1-8da7-cef3643e1164/38.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7ebc13a1-673d-4b42-9d0e-97712a654ece/12.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5ca7e15f-4892-4a04-b75b-cd62c32a03f3/21.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1bfaa987-c7cf-439e-95b3-79258bdd892c/0.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f49cda80-1444-4cb5-b6fc-00c0cd576992/33.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5590d0c9-97f4-46d2-8956-655b2d9b74d6/43.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3100f76d-1f10-4657-abcb-e2ad1216684e/7.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bd2fd459-1ddb-459c-a92e-b8d09bbef931/37-1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/fd42739b-a891-4087-bbe0-4af7a046f356/3.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/fa6eacbb-29db-42a0-898a-65abf8ffa0fb/1.jpg https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries daily 0.75 2024-03-15 https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/days2-4 monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d1d83128-f5b7-4b84-9e86-68e381ad2164/13.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Day 2 began with a 4 am wake up call and an early morning charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of Argentina, and the gateway to all Antarctic voyages. After 4 hours flying straight south, we descended into the foothills of Patagonia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4852164f-1bc0-4b16-8ca5-b050691aa6d2/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Descending into Ushuaia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b159b967-2c52-48b2-9326-49856bb1bac5/15-sm.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing It was a gorgeous day; a rarity in Ushuaia, as the weather here tends to be blustery and rainy most of the summer. But we lucked out, and got to enjoy a day of mild 55 F degree sunshine for a few hours before embarking on the next 800km leg of our journey, where the temps would be less forgiving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e8f89b0d-770d-40b1-b203-ccbebbd1a8e3/16.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Ushuaia, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b896fd0a-2c40-4241-b583-abdbb5ffacb7/17.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing With half a day to spare before embarkation, we traveled to the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park to enjoy some sprawling views over mountain ridges, verdant valleys, and harbors of the Southern Atlantic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/73f78b23-9ae7-4458-afb6-5d6904c41055/18.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/703dcbfc-8669-4cae-9e9f-a6be7f13fd16/19.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0ef3a1f3-daf3-4754-80aa-6ce191fe9775/20.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ef4c1744-3cba-46fd-aaca-41440bcf3a1f/21.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/76cc060e-934b-45b8-8b90-f7f02e982d36/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/63298776-3f4b-4c68-8f6c-484368f4d334/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d858f983-6186-41d8-83e7-4989311d2782/24.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/188d8087-e9fa-41a4-9e26-b68803f739a9/25.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/660d9e53-d340-400d-ad4c-24fe9878acb6/26.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9df3cb9d-20e4-4f62-9184-2b43c0a35331/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a48a5566-26db-4e75-ac69-7af4618678c0/28.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4e2567f6-cc99-48a8-9f0e-f0454c095351/29.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c0822cde-5b7d-4d15-b9d3-ad68ea69d649/30.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3d6f30d4-2f62-4cde-873e-d6c0e75c741a/31.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/076bfde2-52ac-48a8-bd37-6ab3c343b0db/32.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing The southernmost post office in the world. That's the marketing claim anyway, not sure it's factually true, but it's undoubtedly cute. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/affc013c-abf3-4479-87b6-c5b643d2a668/33.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5301e760-03ae-40e3-be3a-5c16dded51f4/34.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/11f1b31c-0739-4fe6-b731-dae89aa276a8/35.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6d600577-f88c-4b64-a0ee-fea6798ba68c/36.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing back in Ushuaia, with a few minutes to spare before embarkation, we walked around the tiny port town. Just like Lukla in Nepal at the base of the Everest, or Aguas Calientes in Peru at the foothold of Machu Picchu, Ushuaia is a gateway to something bigger, a beckoning unknown, and the whole town buzzes with the electric current of anticipation and restlessness that precedes a great adventure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/859f55f6-04ae-49ae-bbef-706682332d10/37.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f43ccce8-d1e1-4135-9098-fd7001e135e1/38-sm.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2cb09a64-ea8d-4011-8c0e-ed712441eecb/39.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Our ship, the World Voyager, glimpsed from the streets of Ushuaia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2d089c4f-421a-4b36-b780-924c27a1219c/40.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Heading up to what would be our home for the next 11 days. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e602d531-2c69-4cd8-909c-c36783c7fc1a/41.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing We've never been on a cruise before so we had no frame of reference, but we LOVED the World Voyager the minute we set foot on it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ed0c3e4c-a74c-4dd9-b60c-3505fafc3678/42.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Not only was it stylish, brand new, and impeccably appointed, but the staff and crew were also the nicest people we've ever met in hospitality. The level of service from the minute we walked on board to the minute we (grudgingly) walked off for the last time, made us feel like some kind of oligarchs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/90443c9c-fb74-46ef-bb23-7c194b75a378/43.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1c48f164-44ba-436f-bdb2-1ffe0c000537/44.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f8fec633-8185-43b2-a0d0-5e89f14964a5/45.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e1e0810c-28b6-4d35-ac41-bce330998396/46.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/71b72d92-ce2f-459b-af81-9a6473d47e33/47.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing The Dome - one of the lounges on the Voyager https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/743565f1-b801-445c-966f-84e95e787c8f/48.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing a toast to casting off! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/601c7549-8298-4fdc-b1b6-ace426b21fd3/49.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b2638dcf-952d-4c41-b3bb-e920edbc0459/50.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Cruising through the Beagle Channel. Named after Darwin's famous ship, the Beagle is a long channel between Argentina and Chile that leads to the Southern Atlantic. It takes several hours to traverse it, and since we cast off at 6pm, we entered the Drake passage close to midnight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e2f1fdd8-d912-45ac-8e5c-f6fc09d8ac89/52.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing the last continental sunset for the next 3 days as we approach the Drake, around 10pm https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2dc70227-8b16-4b66-9494-2b72e5b12a80/53.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2cf8eb5c-4a86-41b8-a6cc-2f5350f917ed/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing The next two and a half days were spent at sea, crossing the infamous Drake passage, known for some of the roughest waters in the world. But we were lucky here again, we got calm conditions known the "Drake Lake". By early morning of our second day of sailing, we started seeing icebergs in the distance, and as the day wore on, they became larger and more numerous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f207ba1b-ba55-4a36-9405-f75ca0b118f4/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing If you've never seen an iceberg up close before, let me tell you, it stops you in your tracks. Coming face to face with something so colossal and ancient (many are thousands of years old) can only be described as otherworldly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c1b37811-ce28-465b-82ea-a89cbfd4df78/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing It became like a meditation for me over the course of the trip - simply observing them in mute stupor as they slowly drifted by. Some were the size of a bus, others the size of a small island rising hundreds of feet above the water. All were majestic, elaborate, and imposing. In their presence I felt my mind slow, like being pulled into a trance, the constant static of thoughts dissolving into simply being present. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7640d13f-fc40-49ea-8ea9-86e5d7fdfb4b/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Of course there was also a ton of whales and seabirds to spot along the way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/16fe575c-b5a3-4388-a731-db7497a0a54c/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing When I wasn't staring slack jawed out the window, we kept ourselves busy on the very-well equipped ship. Inevitably, amazing food was being served non-stop at every corner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/093e127a-53a9-46e2-bd79-1a1301239bf8/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing There was also a great educational program. We had regular lectures about the history, geography, geology, and fauna of Antarctica, along with mandatory IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) trainings on what to expect, how to behave on land and on the water, protecting the environment and native species, tips for not dying, along with gear fittings, fitness testing, and thorough gear and clothing decontamination to ensure we didn't bring any foreign material onto the continent. We certainly were never bored! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/47b1b37d-1397-4715-a820-bff3e6426655/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Down in the mud room, getting fitted for our parkas and wetsuits (for kayaking) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/467c8ca8-af77-412e-8a83-97cb58b78ada/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 2-4 - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Embarkation, Sailing Naturally we took advantage of the amenities :D https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day1 monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f5ffd4ae-24c0-4fb2-ad29-329c6cabe976/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina ~~~Click on any image to bring it up full-screen~~~ Decades of galavanting around the globe have made me into a hard-to-impress traveler, but I still feel a tinge of amazement every time I cross the equator. Some 10 hours on a plane, and suddenly the whole world turns on its head. It was a balmy 90 degrees in Buenos Aires when we arrived on January 24th, a searingly hot and blindingly blue, cloudless summer day. The city - this gorgeous, sprawling old dame - was quiet that afternoon (middle of the workday and all). Grateful for the megadose of vitamin D, we spent a few hours prowling the most famous neighborhoods, seeking refuge under the lush rustling canopies of greenery and trying to not sweat too much. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/51183865-1452-4b00-b912-47720380f8eb/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina Women's Bridge in the neighborhood of Puerto Madero. This glitzy area was built as a winning design for a competition held to give Buenos Aires a new port. It was by far the most expensive design entered, but the architect was the mayor's cousin, so naturally it was selected. 20 years later, and several times over initial budget, the port was finally complete, but, it hasn't served a day as a port. The whole thing was so poorly engineered that it was never able to accept a single commercial vessel, so today it lives on as a swanky open air mall with restaurants, shopping, pedestrian bridges, and some private boat parking. Buenos Aires continues to use its old port on the Atlantic, in the neighborhood of La Boca. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/37ac5a8b-e976-437b-b7b2-2ca6544fe474/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina Puerto Madero https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/48e6c521-c925-4429-a6d2-1df6ae17a3f5/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b5d0a71a-a6df-4c88-8e80-badc8edc8675/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina Palermo, Buenos Aires https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6ea108f0-a770-4117-a54e-dbcbbc976906/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina colorful Palermo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4b643c18-804c-405d-9403-25106f0eec21/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/34c03793-3d0d-4358-bc0f-018c626aac8a/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b3aad2ce-2c11-437d-8dd6-9b9ded01a016/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/627527a6-cda4-495e-b1ac-27995ef2cddb/10.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9a0393e8-cdbc-4c94-93f6-797bae36d701/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0b54e5b1-db4d-4641-a258-6409467ab1f3/12.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 1 - Baires, Argentina https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day5 monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/674bb1ba-e7df-4f0f-92d8-53dfdaafbb0d/0.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge Late morning of the 5th day, the World Voyager crossed the 66th parallel and dipped below the polar Antarctic circle. As is tradition, those brave enough were given the opportunity to mark the occasion with a polar plunge - a jump into the sub-freezing south Atlantic ocean water. Most of the passengers on board (102 out of 137) participated, plus 15 crew members. We were given a safety briefing and made to sign a waiver that said in big bold letters that if we died as a result it was our own fault, which of course is fair. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/31f7873b-c6b6-4b3f-8e86-7069e1373305/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge Selfie with an iceberg as we await the circle crossing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6fc8e38b-0e63-4a28-b336-77a433045421/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge The ship hosted a big party to celebrate crossing the Antarctic Circle. Between the balloons, champagne toasts, the countdown, and the crazy outfits, it felt like we were celebrating New Year again. (The people in bathrobes are the ones jumping later, so you can easily tell the crazies apart) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/627b2f87-9b04-44e1-84bc-d146c904e1ce/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c5bca913-b953-4d33-8967-305e879f3293/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6d181aa2-3ec1-45db-9c28-98196af32365/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge The sauna came in very handy after the jump. To see us jumping, watch the video below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/58517547-65f2-4097-ba3f-4748f15657c5/12.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 5 - Polar Plunge Watching these massive icebergs float by silently while sitting in a sauna after jumping into -2C water below the Antarctic circle - how is that for a "pinch me" moment? https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day6 monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4284208f-a149-4a04-a203-e3c4cce5312d/0.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire On the morning of Day 6, we woke up to land and ice. We were in the Yalour islands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/694308b9-2a1a-4acd-a35b-e26f459fa95a/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire When you're going to the ends of the earth, you're never really prepared for what you will see. You can research online, read about it ad nauseum, look at pictures others have taken before you. But it still doesn't prepare you for actually being there. This realm of black rock and blue ice we woke up into cannot be sufficiently described in words - it felt like we were on another planet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/279fbb38-d240-40b7-bfc2-074e56061d9f/1-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire We were in a harbor surrounded by absolutely MASSIVE mountains. The day was calm and slightly hazy, the air hung silent, not even a hint of breeze to disturb the mirror surface of the water. After rocking in the open seas for 3 days, we were suddenly perfectly still. We had arrived in Antarctica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/863f6ff8-64d2-48f5-add1-5bf94d030c4c/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire There it was, unbelievably, the color spectrum drained from the world save for all the blues. So many shades, each one seeming unnaturally saturated against the monochrome tableau. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/86467a53-7fe4-44d5-8cf1-153fea7f600d/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire It was time for our first official expedition of the trip - a zodiac ride to see a penguin rookery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a2d8c652-52b9-4b3e-84cc-d7ae06ca4568/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire With these offensively bright outfits, you can be sure we were easy to keep track of, but the parkas were wonderful - so warm and cozy, and we got to keep them! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5f9e105d-7f31-4ff5-bd70-186b219bb972/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Zodiac selfie. Zodiacs are small boats that ferry 6-8 people on short excursions, and how we got from the ship to our expedition destinations, whether overwater or landings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3d606461-5f46-4dc7-9ca8-28e25533a942/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/33e8a998-5cb3-498f-9750-9e2706211a01/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire a Gentoo penguin colony https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9ac99ead-aac3-4a2f-803b-4ab99625afd8/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9d270d86-b634-48d4-b8ea-1538f9af0d0e/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b2aa03f8-9e12-4045-9650-07920b0cc607/10.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a2b6fcc5-828a-450f-aa2e-5cf923927106/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6d0a7912-588b-4243-ae67-291bb364c4c2/13.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire after visiting with the penguins we headed over to the nearby Iceberg Graveyard https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8661a2d4-518f-4ebd-8fc3-069489d57482/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Icebergs that wander into this shallow bay get grounded and stranded here. In essence, they become islands, a perfect place to explore and marvel at their beauty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d0cf1939-61ae-4f86-819f-7b2c2fa584f9/16.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire There was an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, and colors in the ice. A lot of the variation is caused by age, and the location that the ice held within the glacier it calved from. Some of the penguins from the nearby colony came around to check us out as we were cruising. As if the scenery wasn't unreal enough, these little torpedoes jumping all around us made it even more surreal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ed38cf56-9909-487d-8e97-de63cbc24c68/17.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/785cfc40-4397-402d-a7ff-4fbfed0614c3/18.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/42e7afd7-e912-43b1-ae5d-a2268c5bfa78/19.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Ancient organic matter in the ice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/351e2061-93b8-499b-a1f6-9fea5b472b49/20.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/08fef1ae-0c5f-424d-b03e-1754b9d566b7/21.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f28a0630-2694-4ee0-8b5b-dffa06f54bce/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d599388c-4834-45a0-9ca8-68a0c94825ed/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e6564f33-6206-42a7-b646-cdb4442cc1c7/24.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Icebergs are inherently dangerous because they move and flip without warning, setting off immense waves. The striations clearly visible in this giant are from its constant shifting and settling, thus finding a new waterline to erode it every time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b993d2b2-c51f-4e7c-9749-a0af7bc88c46/25.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2c919ec5-087c-44da-8794-926f9cb54779/26.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Shapes and textures galore as far as the eye can see. You'd think that after taking 400 pictures of ice you've captured it all, but no - it just keeps surprising you at every turn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d57275e2-5c8d-45a4-a0d4-12c329154c3f/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0c172bb4-9d91-40a1-96ee-1bff51fb95be/28.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a0b279f7-b661-4ab1-95f4-92aae7508ec1/29.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f7f32f11-8663-4ba5-8f13-4e652a15d5e6/30.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6b7c70a0-5a48-49e2-971d-eb418a77409d/31.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2e454037-2fd7-4a08-87ad-a7cb52928f32/32.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/373aa025-1a44-413e-b4d5-ba5b8e956e78/33.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Scale is often hard to convey in photos of Antarctica; having zodiacs in the frame helps tell the story of how colossal some of these icebergs are. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/13b0d752-7416-452b-8d3a-4146395692e2/34.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9a773137-20bc-4bbe-9a93-420c8b09f642/36.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8c3f19f3-9488-4b2d-9445-c3863c3df57a/37.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bcb40581-aac3-440d-b2d1-687b2a570954/38.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1fe80904-5918-4f5a-9068-1b7665e989bf/39.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire This little growler fished out by our expedition guide is very old and very dense, hence its glass-like clarity. You can see a myriad air bubbles inside - air that has been trapped for possibly thousands of years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/381b423b-31b9-4bdc-9ae5-a0a0e76cbbd7/40.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4441b2cb-5711-4178-81d0-df8021ebc301/40-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Just a little Weddell seal taking a nap https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/552b4abb-97d0-4c50-bdc1-bc478eed8490/41.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire We were lucky enough to spot a leopard seal too, albeit from a distance. After orcas, they are Antarctica's second top predator. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7d0cb2f0-53b6-4f0b-a2aa-87dba81883c4/42.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Returning to the ship https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d8f65792-8559-4238-b9cf-0e0a044c58f3/43.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f928f4b0-1f43-4b81-bc10-efea273fabb3/44.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Later in the morning, as the second round of groups were touring, we went up to the decks to take some panoramic shots of Yalour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/21587789-ac4e-4418-9537-902882a37668/45.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0a8753d9-da73-4fa7-9291-3ba1fdfad2be/46.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire The play of light and shadow on the snow as clouds moved across the sky was mesmerizing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/306b6c0a-53d3-475c-9120-800be5a199b8/47.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/68e72f21-2868-4342-8d15-f1ec60922c43/48.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/95746d6d-e8b5-4ad9-8a04-3eb01a0fd42b/49.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f25960c0-655b-4204-857e-c50cb794caf0/50.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d29d5552-6902-403e-949f-e0c1da2e9666/51.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c44b00ec-a1a7-4581-86fb-4c5431f67a54/52.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ff4b9adf-bec1-4be2-87a6-0397bac75f21/52-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2bcfdddc-1211-4dc7-b133-3023c7de2043/54.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Heading to our afternoon destination - Pleneau Islands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e13e57c5-eea9-489a-8171-feef848bfbd1/55.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4e7335ce-d439-4841-987d-444d1c7882d1/56.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/86260a37-e97a-4089-9a16-2f99428fc7c7/56-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ccc341ff-9bd4-462f-991d-b335fa441608/57.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0c66af2b-8257-4a3a-9934-37fa8f596064/58.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/60c05e29-b3a5-4453-9e21-bf5680379b95/59.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2f0b3b89-2393-48c3-bb30-e634477101d0/60.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire This iceberg had its own "beach" - the stunning turquoise water lapping its "shore" looked deceptively like a tropical sea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/dd6240dc-3c0d-4040-8786-004588cf1602/64.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9ccaf93b-fa0b-46bc-9649-8bf15dd2f1fa/61.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7329c047-3015-47eb-b675-171d6c9af466/62.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3e5c4c0b-6cb6-4711-8dd6-607b7b89ef93/63.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Another cruise ship we saw on the way to Pleneau https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8366fce3-3d2c-4f08-bb15-7ae7c11d9b31/65.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f7668d33-a9ca-40bd-8342-8e89d7459040/65-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/21318464-a75c-4062-b14b-1eca98f88dda/66.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Pleneau Islands - the site of our first landing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7c7d7013-860c-41ab-b085-44964fd562af/66-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c1075ea6-3c83-4d15-aeb9-9e851bd116ab/66-2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Just look at the depth of the snowcap on the shore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/eb46a55d-40ac-4fb7-bcf2-84071c84e879/67.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Behold the face of someone setting foot on solid land for the first time in six days! I don't even care that I'm wading through a swamp of penguin poo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/36925d46-a19b-4731-8f0b-5770a0dde32f/68.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Me and some Adelie penguins! It is worth noting that the smell of a penguin colony is not something you will ever forget. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5f1c38f0-fa55-4fdf-bd8b-0ce58699a709/69.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2f5647d4-1432-44c1-80d0-6db651de0fff/70.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b5026759-6731-4d35-b08c-c9ac584f5b14/71.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Pleneau had a huge, dispersed colony of Adelies as well as other sea birds like albatross and terns, and being able to walk among them was such a treat. They didn't seem to mind in the slightest, I guess to them we were just huge, ugly penguins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bb547d4a-b7e2-4d0c-86bc-b9445fb56ba8/72.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/78a0e389-ef17-4c1d-9977-eaceefa773d6/73.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Almost every family had little chicks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/46c8db88-c54a-4ca0-ade3-a9cecda99c32/74.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire A few albatross were hanging out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/411bac57-ad42-44ca-9e42-4dda678b269e/75.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire It's hard to appreciate how huge these birds are. On a photo they look like gulls, but if I were to crouch down next to one, it would be half my size. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d1c65fb9-a1e2-473b-a490-b5528d413790/75-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Most Antarctic species, and birds in particular, are monochromatic, as opposed to land birds that tend to have more color. Here you won't find any colors outside, white, black, and some browns. Sea birds are also sexually dimorphic, meaning there are no distinguishable differences in size or coloring between males and females. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1f7a0b88-c2f6-42ac-a492-f0e06de3b53f/76.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Before the guests are allowed to land, a crew of expedition guides scouts each location, and marks paths that everyone has to strictly adhere to with little red flags. The idea is to make as minimal an impact as possible on the area. There is a boot disinfecting station at every landing that's brought ashore - and another one on the ship once you return - to ensure no material from one site is transferred to another. We were not allowed to touch snow, sit, or even kneel on the ground - just walk along the designated path and enjoy the experience. Our expedition guides were stationed throughout the island to answer questions and give us more information about the place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e789a1b7-ad5c-420b-9567-90e658c3f360/77.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f08b1acf-3d2d-4c93-aee7-6187e7e7a367/78.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Another spectacular place that seemed too beautiful to be real - something we quickly grew accustomed to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e351df94-7150-4fde-a348-20d6c2342df6/79.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0e404745-97ea-4e2f-839e-df4a7d71ffd2/79-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/209d1d8c-536c-43c0-a51b-c8c614c67692/80.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/86affc39-6ed9-4e78-a046-19beb1c0f027/91.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9436d414-86af-4e9e-9b29-ed376ded87ea/93.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8c069d1a-0e6d-4e4c-a776-877025c60acd/94.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ba884959-f79b-4666-8f06-23251814115a/95.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b3485791-07e2-4289-aa47-62eb157023c4/96.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/06388448-7375-482c-826c-484884035aac/98.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d2d6b3f1-c72a-4dbc-927b-e6cdadc312ea/99.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7cf6cd06-3557-433f-b5b6-3045fe36f8eb/100.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bb81b724-9ebd-4fff-8f69-f7130568ee75/103.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/731c6658-5f60-4fd1-9128-31a52cfc12c6/102.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Some of the people in our group got to kayak here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/dae81572-5609-4c74-b0b8-1cfa13efc490/104.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/533be927-5690-4df7-82f4-8054eaa5531b/105.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6aa0c007-e0c5-4fd1-9ee1-5846187b7e09/107.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0e7b8670-05b2-47f6-ae87-9ef8883c2ebb/106.gif Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Coming through - look out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/52b740cc-5c4e-4711-b46d-85ddb5124f51/109.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e57bf4ff-2322-460e-ae3f-64696935253c/110.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1a94fe5f-2a27-472f-b1cb-33c0bec6ec3b/108.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire All the pink color in the snow is penguin poo - they primarily eat krill, so the excretions come out the same color as the initial product. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2b98c333-a2b1-486a-b969-ab25a0afcfd8/111.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a4c1d5fe-fe66-4f65-978d-85b536b3d3f2/112.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/dcfefa7d-7306-48b6-8029-de8080188925/113.gif Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire When we came back to the ship, a group of whales was spotted in the harbor, giving us a good show to round out the afternoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c0a5f4f7-0897-40b9-8058-e04c12dd7606/114.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/40485ea8-30da-4456-afbe-fcd490ea747b/115.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire In the evening we sailed through the Lemaire Channel - a narrow channel surrounded on both sides by towering mountains, creating a really dramatic setting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/95e3c6e1-142c-4fed-93aa-c5ce9773714a/116.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire The weather turned colder and more somber, giving the scene an eerie kind of beauty https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/65617df9-565d-4be7-829c-b0d5ecf57509/117.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire The whimsical ice show continued full force https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f59b6d9b-5b3f-48d2-912e-b0cd6ec625c9/119.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f4ed5e7c-b171-47eb-808f-8dc83fb43e96/120.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3c5efba6-913d-4733-bf22-51a83a2b4d3e/121.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ce6c17ec-6b58-40dc-a1a8-05b98f902616/123.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Did I mention it was cold? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/98cccdf3-33ed-45e5-9f02-9bbbf2d48927/124.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Luckily, we had hot wine! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/34dcbbbe-0d5d-4bb3-bc60-9d0a603c6b38/122.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire Not ideal sailing conditions, as even small growlers like these can beat up a ship's hull, so we inched along very slowly a few times when the ice encroached, but our captain did a stellar job getting us through safely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e4d73765-c528-4889-b5c1-5cddcad7a0d9/125.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 6 - Yalour - Pleneau - Lemaire A beautiful midnight sunset to end the day. https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day7 monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2ea9d9d3-3093-4a7e-9bcf-eeafa2e882bd/0.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor In the morning of Day 7 we landed on Useful Island - a hilly chunk of rock with penguin rookeries and nice views over the bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/cfee0215-7664-4e59-af69-cdf3ecbaab72/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/230cb50d-7507-4f6d-810b-da197ce23196/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor A view of the harbor from the top of the island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0e314c77-1780-4bdc-82ca-dfbd1506fcae/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a29b2a9f-f3f6-4255-8da8-f92165525c1f/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e435a153-2cee-4b7c-a2d7-5047c002f42b/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3525c455-72c3-4d01-bd7c-ab02d3244a6a/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f5b860ad-f83f-4144-9837-3bd998269b88/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor Here, we saw our first examples of penguin highways, and got to observe them in use as penguins made their way from their nests down to the water and back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/619bffcd-e70a-498b-a812-f4ed8f4e654c/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a0725ee8-8df0-4e7a-923b-bac128947f70/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d1011a15-68db-46e0-98d3-cdcd44115185/10.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/125f3ab3-0fe1-43ab-a7db-5b5c1bbd27a2/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor After a chilly landing it was always nice to retreat to our warm stateroom and try our luck at whale spotting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ef9ed25c-a6f8-4379-9276-4f1d6d2d0768/12.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor The real treat of the day came in the second part, when we got to do our first continental landing in Neko Harbor. Our prior two landings were on islands, thousands of which dot the peninsula, but this time we got to set foot on the actual 7th continent itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/87739eb2-3874-4341-8c95-5347fdbd32b9/13.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor Approaching the landing site in our zodiac, it was amazing to see both our man-made paths on the right and penguin highways on the left zig-zagging up the hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b57f4ac4-0af1-42b1-8d4e-f3bcb817e0cc/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor In Neko Harbor, we walked off our zodiac onto a sandy beach, and I almost felt like I was storming Normandy, although the locals were a lot more chill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/70d4fbeb-b143-4699-99db-7ae806ac8ce6/15.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor The locals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b462aae2-1c08-42c2-baca-78a834f3c66e/15-2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor The green and pink colors in the snow is algae. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/59b8fbdd-f578-4c03-95b9-643932c4fce1/19.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/750f3654-5e1e-4027-b0ae-24ca17d7ef56/20.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4297a484-bbc4-46c2-98c6-7e0cb6cc095e/21.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor Climbing up to the top in knee-deep snow - oh, the things we do for panoramic photos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d0bed547-f550-4d4c-a5af-1efbacecada3/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/537f4f86-22b0-4985-95cf-046329f18146/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/19fffae9-69cc-4037-a88a-6c7f18192bb8/24.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9986e1a2-57f1-4540-ad1b-f370645f5466/26.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor The view from the top of this hill was incredible, especially this massive glacier sliding into the harbor, that revealed glimpses of gemstone blue through its cracks and layers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/38bb4f66-f5d1-4558-b80c-b583b93c79fe/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/cf4e5001-e547-4936-980b-578a9d85ef15/28.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/85a0a7c5-47d3-465a-97eb-75168b7281ae/29.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor Skuas - large, predatory birds that feed on penguins are never far from a rookery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0f484c81-42dd-47ee-a2fd-3e6c42332c6c/30.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5fa5455a-945f-4da1-9c74-4a0a19448f26/31.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor Neko Harbor afforded some really incredible photo opportunities of quintessentially Antarctic scenes.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/dd2dacd8-13ac-408b-ac8e-7ff078c5d86a/32.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f2cca632-4326-4e90-88b4-a2aff13a5b1b/34.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/029a242f-1aef-425a-b871-5d9b5cd6c88d/34-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/822ff95f-6961-447f-aecc-8e7fb2d0de61/35.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a9c3d071-7b1f-4749-a9d0-f1f17089effd/36.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8b475ed5-3c93-4bd8-a060-8924ef1eae56/37.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/74d6ad79-04fe-4feb-804c-0c1d76ae82f3/38.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor So much snow! (seen here being touched in direct violation of expedition orders). It's natural to expect that Antarctica would be snowy, but in reality, none of that snow is supposed to be there. Ice - yes, lots of ice, but not snow. Antarctica is a desert, and one of the driest places on earth. It normally gets almost zero precipitation year round. With climate change, all of that has been upended, and now it snows regularly. The snow never melts in many cases, resulting in absolutely gargantuan amounts of it covering everything. This is destructive to the ecosystems and wildlife, which now face greater obstacles in moving, nesting, or finding food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/425c64a5-ed6f-4f8f-97fe-d457236e73ce/39.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor And yes, we're aware of the sad irony of talking about climate change while actively contributing to it via tourism. It is indeed a thorny subject, and one we talked about at length with our expedition guides, all of whom are ardent conservationists and scientists. Since we are now in the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" era of the climate crisis, the general consensus is that taking people to fragile places like Antarctica (responsibly) is better than not taking them at all, because everyone who visits here comes away forever changed by its beauty, and compelled to protect it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3bdd63a8-4bad-42f0-82bb-e9661e73e9f1/40.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/04c89086-eb30-4dad-9247-7654e3df5701/43.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor The World Voyager in perspective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e46d5404-064f-48f6-8bbd-173147369c87/44.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a7e34060-5293-4f47-b1a4-ca55bf91d4ef/46.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/94952768-6d34-4f28-a5ce-e23a159b1858/47.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9d63df46-9d62-4deb-8727-29a8dac31d1e/48.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/49f41b7b-914b-4e2f-b890-b6041d23f3d2/49.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2e7e3c6b-3f8a-4a4d-9dad-4e720fe198a0/50.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor A close up of a penguin highway https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c5ac871c-9c95-4649-b655-bb66c61ff129/52.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8efe13a0-d7c7-41ea-9c59-9ea010f8cef9/53.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/03cb78a9-cadf-45fe-9d34-376f491dbc3a/51.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor It's fun to watch these little busybodies scurrying around back and forth like office-bound pencil-pushers who are running late for work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ed723953-d559-429b-b395-0bff99bec65b/54.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/cc0831e5-39d0-41bd-b96f-573952fe9c1a/55.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/55a4fc76-1aa0-45c5-93dc-94cfecd56e10/56.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 7 - Useful Island - Neko Harbor https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day8 monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/21057d9c-8b73-482f-8847-74cebdb0a073/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Antarctica was first theorized by Aristotle in the 4th century BC. He argued that the symmetry of a sphere meant that the Earth's northern region had to be balanced by an equal southern region. Accounts of who was the first to actually set foot on the continent are hazy and depend of who you ask, but they don't even start until the 19th century. Despite its absolutely massive size, Antarctica has never had a human population, and only one million people have ever been there as of 2024. That doesn't mean humans haven't left a mark; they've left many over the years. On the morning of Day 8, we went to see some. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4085d513-0af9-4cf1-873d-3b33d7f00d14/2-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point It was another calm windless day, perfect for a zodiac ride. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/455e2a73-11f0-436c-9690-04dc600f1aaf/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/43d7f29c-1705-44eb-bb62-0361899210d3/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/70c41a87-9f83-43fd-b470-6da0610b04a5/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point The first thing we saw were these two wooden boat remains. These types of boats were used to carry ice and snow to the whaling ships, where the water was used to power blubber processing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/41992853-eeea-48b0-8fde-bc424122bc73/6-01.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Whaling became a huge industry after Antarctica was discovered, with many European nations racing to harvest as many whales as possible. Whale oil was used to power cities - light the street lamps, illuminate and cook at home, etc - it was basically an early stand in for electricity. It was also used extensively in cosmetics and fashion - whale baleen was used to make corsets, bodices and skirt hoops of those big poofy dresses women wore. Whale populations were brought to the brink of extinction until the practice was mostly suspended after electricity was invented (and because there were too few whales remaining to profitably mount such long and costly expeditions.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9747c1eb-b18f-4239-bd58-d60608f6ee66/6-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Meet the Guvernøren - a Norwegian whaling ship that went down in 1915 after a fire broke out on board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f6fce694-e934-4a8d-868e-f579d6469730/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Since Antarctica doesn't belong to anyone, it is governed by the Antarctic treaty, which was signed in 1959 by twelve nations that were actively exploiting its riches at the time. The treaty still holds today (more on that later) and stipulates that man-made artifacts are either removed if hazardous, or designated as historic monuments, if applicable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/59c30fa8-30af-4f97-857e-396dd5d831ef/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point The government of Norway doesn't care about the Guvernøren wreck, and thus has chosen not to protect it as a historic object. So it's simply sitting there, in a small sheltered harbor, quietly rotting away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c9bcc6b4-3f46-45b9-859b-29aaf057dd1e/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point It also serves as a handy dock for absolutely mental people like this guy here, who crossed the Drake in THAT little dinghy, and was casually sipping his morning coffee, as we cruised by, befuddled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e1ea7b75-81f9-4501-b810-a6f2a2459e15/10.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/27e24771-b009-4082-b4a4-6a7cfd45c151/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Remains of a sad and cruel legacy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0310fceb-f85f-4180-b761-9ff1e999ec63/12.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b1fbf817-d363-4bb7-9d5b-53a736105534/12-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bf0bebf4-08ad-4617-8583-ecfbb64f3d53/13.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/67093e6d-cb24-46d2-84f2-9f1644b532b2/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Saw some amazing seabird action on our ride that day https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b6d045c8-30a1-46f1-a866-9ed8b0003ebb/15.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c0baa740-eb4a-4324-a18f-4e6c0b0002b0/16.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/485f453e-ac1a-4e8a-9c6b-6a01905348bc/17.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point No outing would be complete without at least one seal showing off for the camera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/37f5e08a-4874-4ed7-b55e-33b51c204151/18.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point This time we got two more! These dappled chonkers are Weddell seals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f4ddccc4-3f57-439e-9d68-f331bf3b5e05/19.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0f03a0a2-a16d-4f7c-a6c3-bdc942d720bf/20.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/56e94dfa-de88-4543-824f-4b84311052b0/21.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/08e2f9b5-b3cb-4c6d-961e-9190e3a8d328/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point A gleam of hope on our way back to the ship. The whale populations have rebounded well since the collapse of the whaling industry, pointing to the amazing resilience of the natural world, despite humans' best efforts. As we cruised back to the Voyager, a large pod of whales surrounded us, including some curious juveniles. Because there were so many, we turned off our engine and waited, letting them pass. But they weren't in any hurry. They must have just fed, so they were happy to simply float at the surface and give us a show. And so we watched. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c8da80fd-aea5-4a0f-b6ba-f9b2b9679c3a/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Not that I did anything to earn the honor, but I was so happy that they felt safe and comfortable enough to hang out right next to us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/116bce7d-22b6-4dde-a94e-feb834098340/24.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Peep the baby's little whale eye sizing us up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8f673a36-9841-4ba6-ad26-f87c1145547e/25.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point You never get over seeing a whale in the wild, it's just not something you ever get used to. Watching these gentle giants rising and dipping below the water, hearing their powerful breath, observing the grace with which they move their massive bodies - you know you are in the presence of something magical and sacred. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3c9c9de7-cb23-4ccc-88e9-729c6a72fa31/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3c0f9995-0a1a-4ba9-b028-355fc9720a45/28.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6f79e7f2-f28b-4931-b342-71fce461cfe7/29.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/34bdec2b-e502-4137-977a-476e498e2bfc/30.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point It was an incredible privilege to have this moment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/14b88ea8-5fd2-4ee7-b04d-1cb3a2b5a77f/31.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Another continental landing in the afternoon took us to Portal Point. The fickle Antarctic weather turned once again, and a cold blustery wind was whipping us around, worrying the water. You get a little bit of everything in Antarctica - sometimes all in one day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9e23ca4d-0109-4fc9-829d-ae04f8f82fac/32.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Some incredible icebergs in the bay of Portal Point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1d2a082d-23f9-4199-8aca-629aad6525ab/34.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b43358ef-68fc-4fca-9e11-31c73e064014/35.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7f1870c1-7c64-4700-b988-0e71553ac046/35-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c10c68df-1555-4c98-b8a7-be4db75586f9/36.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bf0b220d-f1e1-4ba0-8a5e-0f01a90d856b/37.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point This guy was a massive hit with the crowds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/62ae495d-9f9d-4222-a47d-f7925370f122/38.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/11dd6b5e-858a-49ef-a5df-12a979691ada/39.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c5e7e1f8-333f-4a35-8ea0-02b7bc403b46/40.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4fc79dbf-6e2e-42da-986b-7660ff4bf825/40-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0f1c0af2-1261-46e2-a071-758e72f62c00/40-2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/fb5de57c-932e-413f-9378-c797a9803083/40-3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f9a3e8df-fe01-4298-be5d-e663277314af/40-4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/73d2e59e-09e6-46eb-a9eb-9064e87cb6c5/40-5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/55513b8f-c308-4850-ba81-e24620b6a8f8/40-6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d8f63f16-f730-4740-afea-29f5399dd819/40-7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Luckily there were no penguins in this area, because these deep footstep holes can be very dangerous for them. If they fall in one, they can't get out, and can actually starve. Our expedition crew made sure we stayed on our beaten paths, and took great care to fill in any holes left behind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/651d2328-7511-4834-85af-8702d94af175/40-8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/84d56525-7a0c-4803-b1d3-913cbe1e760a/41.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/34927ccd-dbc1-4478-b3ac-519ea1432bdf/41-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/da3c56b9-8a0f-441b-8b86-a7d209996071/42.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point Draw me like one of your French girls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6d70e6fa-0094-4e7c-911d-bef50bf33f5b/43.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d2fbfd07-0eb0-4b46-8d3f-4b29bb37007f/44.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bb5915f4-9dfe-471c-a4d4-a627a62b6667/45.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/fc2a524a-405e-44b7-9a36-248a02f653ab/51-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point the light of an otherworldly sun https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b854e0a6-4226-4a84-b1b5-32e2fcf174bb/53.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/944aebc5-f6c4-4eda-b4ed-6588eaebc30f/54.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/feded2ee-7328-456f-a98e-442312133835/54-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/28b19003-a4c1-41e2-8813-84a4fdcca773/55.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/470d3e97-8b64-4778-85ff-5ab7f357f95d/56.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point beautiful rock formations of Portal Point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/42b6d6d6-e567-4048-9b59-2b8c73623f35/57.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 8 - Enterprise Island, Portal Point https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day9 monthly 0.5 2024-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/43f32d88-c718-4818-b0d6-c5ac278c51df/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Day 9, spent on zodiacs in two incredible locations, was one for the books. Our first ride was around Curtiss Island. It was a gloomy and cold morning, heavy low clouds were scraping the tops of the icebergs, and snow was giving way to sleet, letting the cold seep in even through our very effective expedition parkas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/371687e5-8fea-487b-8759-804f493b490d/1-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island But seeing the ice magic that ensued once we left the ship was worth it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2aa9ca1c-f881-481e-8483-428c5c11b386/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/88a67632-6efe-4bab-926c-09c798c13975/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island In an almost completely monochrome world, these pops of ethereal blue that emerged fleetingly from the water always enchanted me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2047dc9e-760d-405f-9e60-407cfb5887a2/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/84da7484-eaaf-4cb6-8326-282dcded8e87/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island whale baleen or giant iceberg? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d80f9c25-aa48-4dcd-9e30-299f6ef1c24b/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island How amazing is this beauty? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/beaee433-ed49-49ac-8fd1-2250f89ba1e7/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Even more amazing once you go around it https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/56d1c8a2-4ac9-4183-bb57-5002805ad88f/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5229192a-6d58-4a77-988d-20a2fd9f33cf/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3e9a5671-56ad-435d-9866-5a9b9c67e257/10.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/caa06537-2f27-41dc-8c4f-b63cbdaba452/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Iceberg disguised as Turkish delight https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e5a8e1bf-e959-461c-ad49-de5c04e3c6c9/12.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/744247b5-7af6-45b2-b8f8-60c7f9979cc9/13.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b38842c2-3295-42e6-8556-3e9435af5128/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island A juvenile fur seal. Unlike other seal species that rely on blubber, fur seals rely on their heavy underfur to stay warm. They are more closely related to sea lions and can walk on all fours rather than do the "caterpillar" like other seal species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b3a2f5e5-8e6a-4666-857c-897b8a68f4b8/15.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3f480af5-dde2-4c55-a662-39472f1934bf/16.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e21bc335-6e96-4c51-991a-f7befd7b5ef8/17.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island No problem modeling for us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4039b8c2-4d1a-44f3-8df4-d36760c1924e/18.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/00e3c70c-09e7-48ae-ba33-7cc7e44d9ff8/20.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island in the afternoon the weather cleared, again, and we headed to our next stop, Spert Island. Our Expedition leader Stefano warned us that Spert Island is a bit of a gamble, as it's a tricky area that requires just the right conditions to visit, but the payoff would be worth it, he promised. And, as the morning system cleared, and the blue sky peeked through, we set off for Spert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9f0ae803-b147-4859-99e7-a29129df4a55/21.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island As we sailed, the light and shadow play of the sunny day on the snowy mountains and icebergs offered up some incredible scenery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0b998804-7d55-4b00-ab81-6a4dc4bef5b4/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/19c0c8bc-8133-4998-8051-16010795f8aa/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/efcc8fde-ca1a-4d53-ae5a-1c07c7b15736/24.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3bbacdbf-cd2d-4c75-9d0b-efd11a95237e/25.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Once we made it to Spert, we loaded into our zodiacs and headed out. Our hopes were high based on the hype, but we really didn't know what to expect https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d24d6c77-3c29-4f56-8566-d95404391496/26.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island First we entered into a really narrow gorge crowded on both sides by towering cliffs. Seemingly impassable amounts of ice sloshed on the surface, but the zodiacs carefully pushed through. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/42b2818d-5c24-412b-b517-d3a5433dcf97/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island There were a few tense moments as the waves menacingly smashed pieces of ice against the stone - a beautiful, if slightly terrifying obstacle course. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b30a3c5c-e144-4abe-a14d-1a707e62dee8/28.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/27500d92-7368-4943-b8bb-37bad8746e4c/29.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island When we were past the channel, the views that opened up to us were truly extraordinary. After a few days in Antarctica you sort of run out of superlatives to describe what you're seeing, but they all came rushing back to me at Spert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/980c8422-150c-470e-ab4f-2a0a027cd052/30.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Once it was clear that we were headed through this cave, everyone seemingly held their breath. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/059fd0fe-edec-4cf6-80b3-75e96719f2af/32.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island It didn't seem real that we could be here, moving through this remote, hidden wilderness that looked like something out of a Tolkien novel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3884b0e5-0c8c-4f49-984c-40fcef26e1d2/34.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island More jaw dropping scenery awaited on the other side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bbbb2221-3c0a-47ea-bfeb-ab01486b3ddb/35.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/26fdfe89-b8f2-49b6-9164-a86740cbaf9e/36.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7f80fd42-2800-4316-963c-fcdd669d2ab0/37.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/382c9a64-ac63-47ae-a1f9-aba80dc0a554/37-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7250bfdc-7601-44a2-bd53-a5c514fffa74/38.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4945b5f5-30d6-4419-baca-c0fcc73a20b4/39.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island It's hard to express what it was like, being in this place that blurred the line between heaven and intergalactic adventure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/936fd5d4-b8b1-4f5a-9d32-f280cc97c4f4/40.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island We thought we had seen every piece of ice imaginable by then, but then we came across this literal gem. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/5012ee0e-7a60-459b-b338-ee8b95a99687/41.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ad9b0e5a-22f8-4270-bef8-405a57e9ec59/42.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/adb0de6e-20b1-47e8-9382-1b48277f395a/43.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/af8e726a-1618-4a08-be9e-fa872724e911/44.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Wild formations the size of small cities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/76c48f78-48ae-4c0f-bf82-7b54cf6b121c/44-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2cc497b5-2bf4-44ef-ad3e-f0f295331f25/44-2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4a99135f-2f29-446f-a664-52317f9132b8/45.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/206be0cd-d7bd-43c8-9f91-2fd5f5fdd12d/46.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/3e415da0-52f4-4360-b10f-2945995085f2/47.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4115c619-9622-4967-8c8a-ad08c3a94089/48.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/04d4c16e-e566-4d10-a80d-4345da6db639/49.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/af92878b-c6b7-4009-b991-59db95bac740/50.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0d60b279-eab4-4f9a-bff6-c42810702f3f/51.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8a346354-412f-4e17-9b81-11abcd555af5/52.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/32dc381c-d08b-45da-93a4-5f59a054b99c/53.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8063ecbe-4813-4e9e-93e7-bbe49684da64/54.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/4cf30e49-0825-4ff8-85ae-02794e11e1e8/55.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/a62539a5-467b-4438-981f-8f1954fedf99/56.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c030dbad-a334-4cf6-b208-89d0773f8127/56-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/72b8cd17-604c-4ccb-9da3-6b9c7fd75fda/57.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/070ddbd9-1348-4a56-b01d-68b09d8e4223/58.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island At one point we gathered together as a group and the energy was so palpable. Everyone was euphoric from the experience, people erupting in spontaneous whoops and cheering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d11a9ecc-ec1e-466b-8540-c7f248e8540f/59.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ef09503e-d410-42da-81b9-63e0d892967e/60.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/06f881d9-d1a5-4a43-894a-2937570c4825/61.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0f1f7f86-eb81-48df-bcde-35d28fff0a91/62.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Truly an experience of a lifetime. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7d48f0f2-fd40-4ed2-bdb4-cfdd3aef247c/64.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Forever grateful to our expedition team for taking the gamble to come here. Getting off the zodiac we all agreed that this outing alone was worth the price of the whole trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1f2d5d08-6d40-47b4-99e7-a65564e664cf/65.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Enviously watching the afternoon groups get their turn from the decks of the ship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/099f1764-e049-4e05-bfdf-31330c665610/66.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2dfbd09b-13b1-4ee9-af5d-21044c2f4296/67.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 9 - Curtiss Island, Spert Island Continuously surprised by the vessels people choose to make the perilous Drake Passage crossing. But it sure is pretty. https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/day10 monthly 0.5 2024-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ef924ff5-d48f-43e9-bd63-4ab8b4b8cae5/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay It took 10 days, but I finally got my chance to go kayaking! Patagonia bay gifted us with perfect weather https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2429a1d7-75f8-4a39-988d-dcf327bae94e/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay Climbing into a kayak from a zodiac is a bit of a contortionist routine, and everyone who wanted to kayak had to pass a physical test demonstrating that they'd be able to get into one - and more importantly, get back out. Ultimately it wasn't that bad and I'm really glad I did it. Flo opted for the zodiac ride tour instead, so my kayaking buddy was one of the waiters, Jorge! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e954759c-bf2b-4bed-b2b1-fc37e938d8a0/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6885cd01-152a-4d9d-a380-801e6b7e41fa/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay Seeing the sights from this vantage point provides a really different perspective. It's so quiet and still, you can really slow down and take in the moment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6393db91-49de-48fb-87a5-94a1c85936a8/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/ac57ee72-2173-420f-9ce4-1dd3d147042c/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/fdf719a9-91b2-4220-86dd-483e80dd07a5/10.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f38a9eee-5f0d-4be6-bcc4-4d23bcadc838/11.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay meanwhile, Flo got to see some wildlife. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9c08121a-50b8-43c9-a8e6-cbf85dc240aa/12.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/cf373e5c-0597-480a-927a-4155bc6c682d/13.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/8763b101-dfa1-49c2-8c13-78262c5fd88a/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/63015b62-1499-432e-bf70-b0763c62f3dd/16.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e57ff0cd-d988-4f2c-bc14-82aa1c4bbad6/15.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay fur seals! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d8e98aee-3f99-485b-94eb-f27a998f849b/17.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/2bc46d66-bd11-45fe-bace-ac64abd38191/18.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7f89cea2-7e5c-42d0-90b6-937c0fdf6230/19.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay "hey, what's up, guys!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c0b4d33b-aeed-45ce-b06e-351235ecc30c/20.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f9c111a1-5af0-4aef-a6b4-5fc985b9b79c/20-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay And after that, it was, unbelievably, time to head back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/47abdd3f-8ac3-425e-8c7b-d4b30a737158/20-2.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay But not before taking a couple of braggy photos with a sign we have no business holding (Antarctica is our 6th continent) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6a4c29ee-7f2b-4560-b4ce-a80482ff7418/21.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay It unravels before you like a dream. Or some hybrid state between dreaming and wakefulness that fills you to the brim. Antarctica is so remote, so mythical - some part of you never quite believes that you're there, even as you stand solidly on its turf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e58e7f60-61a9-49e8-8e19-2ea43b7ed756/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay And yet, there it is, the 7th continent. Right before your eyes. The whitest, the bluest, the purest of worlds. So mercilessly beautiful it sucks the air right out of your lungs, like a gut punch. Every day. You look, and you look, and you try to fit it all in through the pinhole of your iris, soak your brain in it, remember. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0e988aaa-c3fd-4e74-9b35-a6657b1064dd/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay You will never quite reconcile it, after you leave, that you were actually there. Like a wandering astronaut who chanced upon a virgin world, you'll always distantly suspect that it was all in your head. But it will have its pull on you, oh, don't you worry about that. This place is in your heart now, like a splinter, a part of you fused with those impossible tableaus forever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/41e44287-f9d3-42a8-81c1-48a234c91f14/24.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c470a49a-5b96-4d85-8368-d400281f8064/25.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/963bbc5a-10de-4d43-b256-5e966bcda77f/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay It was bittersweet to leave. Knowing we're not likely to return, knowing that it's in peril, knowing it won't be so pure and virginal forever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/e7e516c1-404d-48d9-a140-e591e090270f/28.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay As we made our way back towards the Drake, the ice put on one last spectacular show for us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/054c3bd6-ad9c-43f8-865b-561672599777/29.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9b0a6965-c0fa-41b5-b109-bdd61f16db67/30.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/77cc7e1a-596c-4ece-9912-cab0bd2a81b3/31.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/38919095-eb14-4b1c-82f2-978dae609836/32.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0f3f1feb-b755-4f28-96bd-cc7125472728/33.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/6949a84f-ffdb-420a-90f9-3f5da6ea152d/34.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/04c5e467-73c5-4cf1-9fb1-187c5d0a2f62/35.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/9caf7a82-b03f-4b4c-942d-4d5ecd5639b9/36.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/03a89797-00d0-4930-b3e1-36e89b978c35/37.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay When two days later we saw land again, the greens and browns shocked the eye. Just like that, we were back in the realm of humanity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/58f63465-2674-42b9-9ef6-b4d76ae05d2f/38.jpg Daily Galleries - Day 10 - Patagonia Bay The Antarctic treaty signed in 1959 by twelve of the world's leading nations was created to protect the continent from exploitation, reserving it exclusively for scientific research purposes, and meant to avoid armed conflict in a bid to harvest its riches. The treaty is set to expire in 2048, and there is little chance that it will be renewed. What may happen upon its expiration is unknown, but it could lead to a massive resource grab - countries will carve it up and claim its territory for themselves, eager to tap into the boundless natural resources held within. Hopefully this will happen peacefully, although wars have already been fought in preparation (like the Falklands war between Argentina and Great Britain). Maybe our better nature will prevail and we will leave it in peace, this pristine endless beauty at the bottom of the world. Here's hoping. https://www.thegreatwhitesouth.com/dailygalleries/lifeonboard monthly 0.5 2024-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/43684530-6e33-41ce-bf48-312c5d35c9e3/1.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board Some scenes of life aboard the dazzling World Voyager https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/b21300d8-aa39-473c-a76b-6695ab271e96/2.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board The World Voyager was built 2 years ago in Portugal, one of 3 identical sister ships, The Voyager, The Explorer, and the Navigator. Purchased by a new luxury cruise company Atlas, this was only its second cruise to Antarctica! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/28e4492e-57cb-48b3-beff-5004ef0276ef/3.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board Everything was brand new, top of the line, squeaky clean, and staffed by some of the nicest people you've ever met. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/55ae8d5d-d631-401f-b0cc-447a021059fc/4.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/bbff3a6a-9595-4751-b9f5-9b834782e3a1/4-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/46b9b05c-9435-4a51-9dcc-7a6ca3010db7/5.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/90a19d78-925d-4f11-aa54-9e55f77f1f9a/6.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/324ad4c4-dc75-4071-b20c-bde889ba4480/7.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/70f1dfc2-3daa-4005-a0c7-16d074b184ac/8.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/257941b6-264a-4d56-abdb-e6ebad4af5f7/8-1.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board a look at how the zodiacs were launched and retrieved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/c3d7ef46-2bf2-4917-97af-5eee5c7c8d39/9.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board An enticing hallway leading into the main restaurant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/f76f1c9f-c621-486c-9ce7-1bbd08e96fcd/14.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board The bridge! We were lucky enough to get invited up for a tour https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d7947f8e-0f2d-4984-980b-a660993b1b6e/15.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board Cadet Joao (from Portugal) giving us the tour https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0deb840e-c540-4a6a-ac82-7866f0340e6d/16.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board The crew fished out one of the growlers and chiseled a groove in it to pour vodka through (they insist they tested it for deadly pathogens first). Sure, we've had tundra vodka before, but a shot poured over a 5000 year old iceberg was definitely a first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/994a1351-c043-4c69-a7bd-ee4919fd1f1e/19.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/d9079c91-87d6-45f1-8050-bf3e9a6fe5db/22.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board One of our expedition guides, John (right, from Zimbabwe), and a volunteer from the audience, demonstrating the wingspan of a giant albatross https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/0f19f96f-d904-4d92-b209-b16ed911019a/23.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board Expedition Leader Stefano (from South Africa) giving us a recap of the trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/61fc6b40-295e-43a8-b2bb-690a0b343994/25.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board The expedition crew receiving a standing ovation from the guests on the last day. The expedition crew was made up of scientists and explorers from all over the world including South Africa, France, Ukraine, England, Argentina, Paraguay, US, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, and probably at least a few more I'm not remembering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/7590cdcd-9b18-47c1-8292-1a878669a3d4/26.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board A toast with captain Cosmin (from Romania) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65e3cb772e42046037f8e0bb/1da9124e-eaaa-4920-a8c7-ac4ad38c429c/27.jpg Daily Galleries - Life on Board a map of our voyage