After leaving the South Shetland Islands in our wake we awoke to new adventures along the peninsula of Antarctica. Our first stop was Cuverville Island. The small beach area on this otherwise steep mound of an island has the largest gentoo penguin colony in all of Antarctica. During this part of the summer many of the adults have left and the large crèches of young birds await their return. Some of the adults will come back and feed their chicks but many of the young are fledged and will figure out that their parents are done feeding them. Some adults have returned to molt. This process of replacing all their feathers in a rather short period of time means the adult birds can’t go into the ocean, and therefore can’t feed, so there are hungry young and adult birds. The weather was wet and windy but many braved the slippery walk to see the penguins—and many skuas that also nest here as they keep an eye for a wounded or weak bird to prey upon.
Once back on board we warmed up and dried out over lunch. The views of the Danco Coast were amazing as the ship glided along the many glaciated cliffs and valley on our course for the afternoons’ activities in Paradise Bay. Zodiac cruises were offered for those who wanted to see the nesting shags, incredible cliffs, and the remnants of an Argentine research base built in the 1960s. Crabeater seals were seen on a few of the ice flows. A spectacular snow and ice avalanche also entertained us as we wondered at the beauty of Paradise Bay.
After dinner there was another treat as the captain expertly navigate the famous Lemaire Channel. This narrow waterway is hemmed in by Booth Island and the mainland. The cliffs are more than 3,000 feet straight up. The dusk light was warming even if the air temperature and wind were not. Luckily our Hotel Manager had hot glug for us to enjoy. An amazing end to a great day.
