I was part of a group of 26 people, mostly from Texas but also people from Colorado and Illinois. We did an Oceanwide Expeditions cruise to Antarctica. We traveled to Argentina, ending up in Ushuaia at the very southern tip of Argentina. Ushuaia is the southernmost city. Nicknamed "The End of the World", Ushuaia is also the beginning of adventures to Antarctica. In Antarctica, we focused on a peninsula 600 miles southeast of Ushuaia.
March 22
Weather: cloudy with occasional showers and 46 F.
We embarked our expedition ship, the m/v Plancius. The ship was originally a research vessel, before being converted to an expedition cruise ship. The ship was fully booked, with a total of 116 passengers from several countries. There was a group of 12 students studying at St Andrews University in Scotland and they were doing wildlife research during the expedition. We had the safety drill, introduction of staff, and captain's reception. Then started sailing through the Beagle Passage.
March 23
Weather: sunny, clear skies, light winds. 42 F.
First day on the Drake Passage. The Drake Passage is the corridor between South America and the South Shetland Islands, where the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern oceans converge. There is no land to absorb the ocean flows, so waves in Drake Passage are usually rough. However, today the waves were relatively small, no more than 6 ft swells. So we had Drake Lake today. The m/v Plancius has a bridge, which is the viewing area on the 7th deck. The control room is also accessible by guests, to see the equipment the captain and staff use during the voyage. The staff gave several presentations today - on seabirds, penguins, icebergs, and the convergence.
March 24
Weather: cloudy, occasional drizzle, 34 F.
Second day on the Drake Passage. Other than an occasional gentle sideways roll, the Drake Lake continued. Today's lectures were on whales and overview of Antarctica. Late afternoon, we spotted the first iceberg and sailed by South Shetland Islands - which meant we were getting close to Antarctica.
March 25
Weather: cloudy, few snow flurries, 32 F.
First landing was in Cuverville Island. Started with a zodiac cruise in search of wildlife. We spotted a leopard seal and several humpback whales. Then got on Cuverville Island itself, where we were greeted with lots of penguins
Next landing was Danco Island. Hiked to the top of the hill for great views. Some people did the Polar Plunge, where they jumped into the freezing waters for a few seconds. It was rather chilly!
An engaged couple on the cruise, from Missouri, had their wedding today. They would go around wearing Bride and Groom hats.
March 26
Weather: mostly cloudy, a few peaks of sun, 32 F.
Today was mainly about the scenery, and landing on the actual Antarctica continent. First landing of the day was Stony Point. Spotted a few weddell seals here. Hiked up the mountain to take in the glaciers, icebergs, and water. Combined with some sun, it made for breathtaking moments. I love the reflections in the water. The guides also had us enjoy 5 minutes of total silence.
Next landing was Neko Harbour. By now, snow was starting to fall and the wind picked up significantly. Hiked up the mountain, passing a penguin colony along the way. There were several active glaciers nearby, and we could hear calving.
March 27
Weather: cloudy with morning fog, brief heavy snow, then partly cloudy. 32 F
Rougher waters, combined with morning fog, meant no landings today. So we had two zodiac cruises. The first was around Portal Point, where 3 of the zodiacs (I was in one of them) had very close encounters with humpback whales near the m/v Plancius.
The second zodiac cruise was around Cierva Cove, which had an Argentina base. Lots of beautiful blue icebergs, including one with face carvings. Also spotted a leopard seal swimming, chinstrap penguins, and birds. There was also a mountain which looked similar to the Matterhorn.
Tonight, we had a BBQ dinner, which was served outdoors on the deck.
March 28
Weather: mostly cloudy, some sunshine in the morning, moderate to strong winds, 33 F.
Today, we sailed towards the South Shetland Islands. We had landing at Half Moon Island. The island is shaped like a crescent. Upon landing, we were greeted with chinstrap penguins and fur seals. Fur seals can be aggressive, so keep your distance from them and wave your hands if they start to approach you. I joined a group to do a long hike around the island, where we got close to another Argentina base. Then climbed the hill to enjoy great views.
Then hiked to a penguin colony, where there was one macaroni penguin among a bunch of chinstrap penguins. Macaroni penguins have yellow hair, and are mainly located in sub-Antarctic.
During lunch, one of the St Andrews University - Scotland students celebrated her birthday. Some of us tried the cake, made for a delicious dessert. We began our voyage back to Ushuaia, and around 3pm entered the Drake Passage. There were several storm systems approaching which kicked up the waves. Unlike our voyage down, we would encounter rough waves, as high as 20 ft swells. Definitely Drake Shake. Sleeping would be challenging, rolling around in bed as the ship rocked.
March 29-30
Weather: cloudy, moderate to heavy winds, 36-42 F.
Drake Shake continues. The outdoor decks would be closed, except for the bridge. During meals, plates and cups often rolled, and our chairs would also slide. I sat in the dining benches, which were bolted to the ground. I'm impressed the dining staff could maintain their balance while holding multiple plates on a rocking ship. To get an idea on the size of the waves, here is a video from the bridge, and one of waves washing the lounge windows on the 5th deck. The captain did great in steering the ship between the storm systems, sparing us from the worst - though waves were still very rough. And the m/v Plancius has gone through even rougher seas. All that said, the ship is built to withstand the harshest sea conditions, so sailing through Drake Shake is safe though very uncomfortable.
There were presentations on types of algae (the red and yellow spots in the snow) and effects of climate change in Antarctica. Two of the guides also shared about their experiences living in Antarctica. Because of the remote nature of Antarctica, everything is imported: water for cooking and showering, food, and generators for heat and electricity. Nothing is left behind, so all trash gets stored and then loaded onto cargo boats. Common tasks require creativity - they say strange becomes normal. Meals marked the passage of time, and were considered highlights of each day. Sometimes, in the right conditions, the Aurora australis (AKA Southern lights) appears. These pictures are screenshots from the presentations:
About 48 hours after we departed Half Moon Island, we could see the light at the end of the Drake Passage tunnel: the seas were much calmer, first sight of Argentina, the sun started to appear, all decks reopened, and dolphins made an appearance. Before dinner on the last full day, we had a captain's cocktail reception to celebrate a successful Antarctica voyage. We sailed a total of 1625 nautical miles, or 1870 land miles.
