Sunday, December 31, 2023

Antarctica -Deception Island and More Penguins 🐧 (crossing the Drake)

TUESDAY 


Today we visited Deception Island. The island is located in the South Shetland Islands and it s caldera of an active volcano. You can reach your hand into the sand and the sand is actually warm due to the underlying volcanic activity. 


Notice the narrow opening called Neptune’s Bellows. The island is 10 miles wide and we spent time in Whaler’s Bay. While in the bay, there was a strong sulfur smell. Due to erupt, the volcano last erupted in the 1960’s. The remains of a whaling camp can be seen on shore. 




Chinstrap Penguins 






After returning to the ship, our boots had to be cleaned to prevent the spread of avian influenza (bird flu). 





Half Moon Island and More Penguins 





Soooooo windy 🌬️ 




Scallops for Dinner 


All locked down in anticipation of traveling through the Drake. 



Shout-out to Caleb and Natalia P. - the first two days and last two days of our ship journey is spent crossing the Drake. The distance is about 600 miles.  On average, the depth is about 11,150 feet. So many people are experiencing motion sickness 🀒 Fortunately, I am not …. It’s like being on one long roller coaster 🎒 Waves 🌊 are ranging 12-15 feet in height. 

Shout-out to Mackenzie- As far as which guest has travelled the farthest, it is probably a guest from Austria πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ή He is a friend of one of the naturalists. 

Shout-out to Andrew and Andre -We covered quite a bit of territory on this journey. One highlight is that we crossed over into the Southern Ocean, meaning we went below 60 degrees south. Take a look at the map πŸ—Ί️ below 


Shout-out to Sara- I have purchased very few souvenirs. I bought two patches ( maybe πŸ€” I will put them on a jacket or on my backpack) and penguin earrings. We have a brief stop in Ushuaia on the way back home… I hope 🀞🏽 to purchase a few items then. The truth is I am bringing back lots of pictures and videos. 


Do you want to see penguins swimming underwater?  Check out this video captured by the naturalists on board our ship.
Click on this link:


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