Guests awoke early today to catch the sunrise among spectacular icebergs at 4:49 a.m. while National Geographic Explorer made her way to Croft Bay. Once the ship anchored, guests were off to enjoy hiking, Zodiac cruising, and kayaking adventures. 72 brave souls conquered the Polar Plunge with a water temperature of 0° C. It was a spectacular morning with the sun shining and clear views.
Back on board, lunch was disrupted by a pod of B2 orcas dancing between the icebergs. Algae tinged their white markings, and a few calves and larger males were present. We eventually made our way over to Snow Hill to visit the 1902 Swedish Expedition’s hut. As we pulled into our landing spot at low tide, the island was littered with spectacular ice sculptures. Bare, jagged mountains loomed before us, and it was beyond otherworldly. Guests had the opportunity to go inside the hut where six men survived two Antarctic winters (one was unplanned). The men were joined by three additional men from the same expedition for the last two months before they were rescued. Guests observed a lot of fossils from the time of the dinosaurs on Snow Hill. It was an amazing day!
