The Antarctic Circle and the Adelie Penguin

Well, it was another amazing day. Crystal Sound lived up to its name, with crystal blue skies, crystal waters, and crystal icebergs. Our captain has an affinity for the ice. He had no problems meandering around various icebergs. We crossed the Antarctic Circle this morning, escorted by Humpback Whales. The ship’s horn went off, and our captain made a champagne toast with the passengers to mark the occasion. It is only possible to navigate these waters in late summer due to the ice, so only approximately one in five of the company’s Antarctica excursions forge this far south in the Peninsula.

We spent the afternoon hiking on Detaille Island and visiting an abandoned British research station. Since the weather was once again unbelievably calm and warm, we stayed later than originally planned and cruised the bay in the Zodiacs. It was mesmerizing, viewing the icebergs, petrels, skuas, penguins, and seals (three species: Leopard, Weddel, and Crab Eater Seals). Now it’s late in the evening and we are headed North with plans to cruise the Lemaire Channel and visit Palmer Station, a United States research station on Anvers Island, on Saturday.

This is an iceberg in the Crystal Sound. To give you some perspective, that’s a seal on the lower right hand corner.



The penguin of the day is the animated Adelie Penguin. 

The adolescent Adelies are molting, and the last of their old feathers look like a mohawk on the tops of their heads!



The prize photo of the day was the Snow Petrel. Amazing bird, all white, and it never leaves the Antarctic, or as our naturalists say, it never leaves the ice.



Another great view of the moon, to end a superb day. I apologize for the low-resolution photos; they lose something in translation. I’m happy to share the original photos upon my return!