17. Antarctica Part 5. Whales, Polar Plunge and Elephant Seals.

Everyone's dream is to wake up to a white Christmas, and we did so in 2019, with snow falling when we opened our door to the deck.

The joyousness of Christmas.
The joyousness of a white Christmas. 

Flash photography on snow flakes. 

Following sightings of whales nearby, sleighs were boarded to take us into closer proximity, on a wonderfully calm morning ideal for whale watching.

Our sleigh driven by the lovely Nina.

The water between these zodiacs and ours boiled as three whales having dived down deep, surfaced spiralling and emitting air on their return to the surface, creating an air curtain to contain the krill and fish.
This was time to put the camera aside and simply take in this amazing once in a life time scene. 

Several whales erupted through teeming krill as we watched in awe, balancing and hanging onto the boat in readiness to balance the zodiac in case a thirty tonne whale lifted us clear of the water. 

Looking into the water, all sorts of large shapes could be seen circling under us
having previously erupted with mouths agape. 

Some coming up as others go down. 

The whale tail waterfall. 

Just cruising on the surface.  

Humpback taking a dive with an impressive backdrop. 

Three whales taking a breather, idling together, giving the tell tale puff. 

An impressive backdrop for whale photography. 

God's sculptures

1915 was not a good year in Antarctica, as well as so much of the rest of the world.  Just nine days after Shackleton's Endurance became trapped in ice, leading to two years of ordeal before final rescue; the Norwegian whaling ship, the Governmoren, met its end in Foyn Harbour.
During a party to celebrate the end of the whaling season before returning home to Norway, the ship loaded with 22,000 gallons of whale oil caught fire.  In the available time, the captain ran the vessel aground allowing all 85 on board to alight (much like the ship).  All 85 survived to be collected by another whaling vessel. 

A cruising yacht moored against the wreck of the Governmoren

A long way to sail in order to tie against such a backdrop.

The wreck is slowly deteriorating under the extreme conditions and the weight of snow and ice. 

Whale oil must work in the same way fish oil does in preventing rust in cars.
The hull is in surprisingly good condition for 105 years in the elements. 

Door and hinges made to stand the test of time.

Two bird types of considerable differences were seen roosting in the immediate area.
Again it was truly inspirational to see the way these wonderful creatures live and thrive in such a harsh environment.

Antarctic Terns appreciate the wreck as a welcome alternative to rocks, snow and ice. 

There is no place like home!

Antarctic Cormorants also nest in the area.
Their nests appear as solid and weatherproof as those of penguins. 

Again just floating by;  more incredible ice sculptures.
The moored yacht nearby would need a continuous lookout to ensure it was not crushed
 by such objects coming in at relative speed driven by current and wind. 

The smaller iceberg about to be consumed by the larger. 

Old whale boats on an island in Foyn Harbour, possibly from the Governmoren.
Again the preservation of the timber is amazing.  

These boats were probably the only timber we saw during our time in Antarctica.
This confirms why whale oil and imported coal were the trend for heating and cooking.

The Polar Plunge Challenge was accepted by Don, taking on falling snow, temperature near freezing, and the water temperature about the same.  An area free from icebergs and smaller floating ice was chosen in order to minimize head injuries.

Prior to the swim, we were all questioned about any health issues, and advised to leave the water immediately after entering; and definitely no swimming off to icebergs etc.
Don sported a green mankini worn for the first time since receiving same for his 60th.
After the plunge, he was advised countless times that his costume design, presentation and execution took out the Oscars for the day.

Acknowledging the crowds whilst trying to scare away Killer Whales and Leopard Seals.
The falling snow simulated a ticker tape parade for the plungers. 

What you don't see won't hurt you or make you cold. 

Rising sea levels around the world originating from Antarctica, and for once, not from melting ice. 

Giving the thumbs up that all is OK except for the mankini malfunction in being off-centre.

As we called it a night, these penguins were still partying as midnight approached. 

Camping on an iceberg is akin to taking a mystery cruise with an unknown destination.

Boxing Day and on to Elephant Point on the southern end of Livingstone Island, part of the South Shetland Island chain, home to hundreds of Elephant Seals and Gentoo Penguins, plus some wandering Chinstrap Penguins.
It was incredible to see the way they lived in such close proximity without appearing to notice each other's existence.

Stay in the one place long enough and end up blending in. 

Cute

There was much bravado, pushing and shoving.
The bulls are typically 5m long and weigh three tonnes.  

The noise of these giants smashing against each other could be heard from hundreds of metres away. 

Mouths large enough for krill, fish, squid, rays and small sharks. 

As the two elephant seals were thrashing around trying to unseat each other, the penguin casually walked right on past.

Walk on by, without a care in the world. 

Flippers with multiple components for agile swimming.
Eighty percent of time is spent under water, covering 100km per day and diving to depths up to 1,500m. 

Smiling for the camera!

These adorable creatures are six or seven times heavier than the largest living land based carnivore, the polar bear. 

Pups are often killed by being squashed during fights for territory and position in the hierarchy. 

Various groups gather on the beach.
Male Elephant Seals can weigh as much as ten times that of female Elephant Seals. 

We would have more than just blood shot eyes if we dived to 1,500m or 5,000ft. 

The neighbours blended in well without any sign of disputes over territory.

Penguins gathered by the hundreds with chicks so much bigger than we'd seen earlier on our trip. 

Beak to beak communication. 

Mouth to mouth communication. 

In total adoration. 

Just hear me roar!

Penguin feathers among moss and rocks.
Some of the only greenery to be seen. 

We encountered another type of bird not seen before at close quarters, quite impressive with a wing span of 180 to 210cm, or six or seven feet in the old money; the Giant Petrel.

Powerful birds which are aggressive predators and scavengers.
The Giant Petrels possibly followed the whaler ships loaded with whale oil, due possibly to the close affinity of oil and petrel.

Due to their aggressive behavour, whalers called them Stinkers or Gluttons.

Chinstrap penguins walking the entire length of beach as we did.
They could have swum the distance in a fraction of the time it took to walk, however, sometimes it is good just to stroll. 

Elephant Point beach with strolling penguins. 

The Chinstraps stroll past Elephant Seals simulating as sardines in a tin. 

Lovable

Communal gatherings without rules of social distancing. 

The Gentoo penguins have built on a rise clear from stormy seas but still incredibly exposed.
They have decorated the ground with the traditional krill, red with white streaks. 

The chicks in the Antarctic region have grown from the first time we encountered them. 

We never tire of this type of scene. 

Food is evidently in abundance in the surrounding waters. 

Always enjoy a good belly laugh when you can!

The young in the shelter of adults.

A cuter version of young under shelter. 

A lot of hot air between these two. 

Heading back to the ship, we hope the tide has not receded as much as it looks. 

As we dined an early dinner prior to our final evening shore excursion on our last day in Antarctica, drama occurred which was not in any way planned and definitely not in the brochures.
Our ship grounded on an uncharted solitary rock, coming to an abrupt stop when travelling at about five knots, due to the depth decreasing from thirteen metres to five.  After a short time of full reverse thrust, the ship found deep water again, suddenly listing to port and sending plates, food and wine flying off tables.
The ship immediately increased speed and steered a course NW towards one of the most notorious stretches of ocean in the world, indicating our exploration in Antarctica was over prematurely.
We later were informed that one of the ship's twin skins had been punctured, filling the void between hulls with seventy seven tonnes of water.  Fortunately the ship was designed for impacts such as this.

The Drake Passage and the weather conditions ahead for us.
The aim is to avoid the worst of the weather. 

Our final night as we crossed the Drake Passage.
The Southern Alps of New Zealand are not quite visible to the top right of the photo. 

A pilot joining us to guide up the world renown Beagle Channel, through the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago;
with Chile to the left and Argentina to the right. 

Security of Ushuaia and the southern end of the Andes Mountains. 

Our fabulous ship, the Greg Mortimer punched through some incredibly thick ice without any ill effects, apart from the rock damage below the water line where two holes were found, the largest measuring 190mm x 40mm. 

The conclusion of our AAA holiday, receiving an emotional farewell by the brilliant expedition team of the Greg Mortimer. 

Fifty six hours later we arrived home to not only the sunburnt country, but the bushfire burnt country.  The contrast across the world was almost surreal.

We now finish this post with so much eventful time having elapsed since our epic trip, and are so grateful of the timing.
Since our return the world has seen so much drama with the Covid19 the BLM riots, which would have made our trip impossible.
Our Antarctic ship, the Greg Mortimer was stricken with the virus, resulting in 60% of passengers and crew contracting the coronavirus, and one crewman dying; then all being stranded off Montevideo for a month before being granted permission to disembark.

We wish you all well in these trying times, and encourage keeping to social distancing along with working on keeping in touch by other than the traditional ways.
Thanks for following us through our journeys and experiences.  We hope you have enjoyed the images and our comments, giving a relief from day to day events.

Cheers and social distancing hugs,
Don and Carrol.