Charging our way north after going as far south as National Geographic Resolution has ever gone south of the Antarctic Circle, we spent an early morning in Crystal Sound in Skog Bay. The bay is named after the prolific explorer, inventor, and designer of National Geographic Endeavour and National Geographic Resolution, Captain Leif Skog.
The sea was calm with light winds which allowed the expedition team to assemble the kayak platform and ready the guests for a paddle around the beautiful bay. Mirrored glass reflections were seen from nearby icebergs, including one with a beautiful arch. Due to the overall interest in kayaking, we split into two rounds. While one group kayaked, the other group boarded Zodiacs to explore the ice and nearby Adelie penguin colony. Many crabeater seals were also seen lounging on the ice, undisturbed by their orange-jacketed visitors.
With a nice afternoon sail and time for a rejuvenating nap after another delicious meal, we had presentations by Naturalist and Undersea Specialist Nick Brown to tell us a bit more about the seals we have been encountering. We also had a presentation from Naturalist and Historian Pelin Asfuroglu about early explorers to Antarctica, specifically one of the first made by Adrian de Gerlache on the Belgica in 1897. For those interested, a good book that tells this tale is entitled, Madhouse at the End of the Earth.
After dinner, our Expedition Leader Andy Wolff had the idea to get out on the water one last time as we approached Fish Island. We were able to see more Adelies as well as an Antarctic shag colony where both types of seabirds were busily feeding hungry chicks.
It was another magnificent day in Antarctica.
