Temperature 3oC/37oF.
Gentoo penguins lay two eggs that hatch in 34-36 days. The chicks become subadults and go out to sea in 80-100 days.
Trying to be extra careful about not falling, I did slip and found myself face-down in the path, as if I were a tobagganing penguin. It was difficult getting back to standing, since my head was downhill and those big heavy boots were hard to get under me. Pulling on the arm of a helpful fellow passenger, I was able to stand up. Fortunately I fell in "clean" snow, but I would still have to wipe down my parka for biosecurity.
Back on the Ocean Diamond, it was time for the Polar Plunge!
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| We were up at 1:45 to hopefully see the sun rise at 2:30 (having set at 23:06 yesterday); unfortunately we were fogged in |
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| A bit of brightening? Nevertheless, you can see that it never became dark at night here |
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| View from the cabin window at Trinity Island |
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| Snow-covered mountains with walls of snow right down to the sea |
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| We landed at Mikkelsen Harbour and started a trek up the hill |
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| Looking down the other side of the hill at an Argentine research station hut, with a Chionis albus/Snowy Sheathbill |
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| Pygoscelis papua/Gentoo penguins |
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| Chionis albus/Snowy Sheathbill (note feet) |
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| Gentoos breed on ice-free surfaces, of which there are presently only patches in this area (KSS) |
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| If we stepped to the side of the beaten path made for us, we were likely to sink up to our knees in the snow, which creates a trap where a penguin could fall in and get stuck |
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| A penguin highway, and penguins have the right-of-way (ignored by some photographers) |
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| Penguin highways connected ingress/egress to the sea to the ice-free breeding areas |
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| The Argentine flag on the research hut |
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| The opposite side of the peninsula from the Zodiac landing is how far we trekked to find ornithologist Fabrice (in red) |
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| Now for the Zodiac cruise, where our guide showed us a piece of black ice, usually so old that as it continued to freeze, it pushed out all the air bubbles and impurities |
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| Kent holds a larger piece of black ice, perhaps 10,000- 30,000 years old, which was brought back to the ship and cut up to ice drinks: it is slow to melt |
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| A place that recently calved (had a section of the glacier or ice wall break away) |
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| Kayakers could opt for this activity instead of the Zodiac cruise and landing |
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| Iceberg |
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| A "raft" of Gentoo penguins swim by |
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| A scored former underside of an iceberg beyond Kent |
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| This iceberg looks like a whale |
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| Here's an unusally sculpted iceberg |
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| A view of another side of the sculpted iceberg |
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| This iceberg has a "martini glass" shape left standing |
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| Passing by a Pygoscelis antarcticus/ Chinstrap penguin colony ingress/egress point |
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| A closer look at Chinstrap penguins (by Charlie Wu) |
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| A "flying" Chinstrap penguin (by Charlie Wu) |
The water temperature was at freezing, give or take a couple degrees.
Next: Cierva Cove.
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