Having spent amazing days in the Weddell Sea, it was time to make our way around to the western side on the Antarctic Peninsula. We woke up this morning to the sight of numerous blows from humpback whales. While we enjoyed breakfast, the bridge team positioned National Geographic Explorer perfectly for viewing the humpback whales. We witnessed individuals breaching and showing off the sheer size of their bodies out of the water.
Following this spectacular wildlife encounter, we enjoyed a talk from our undersea specialist, Rachel, who told us about the paramount importance of krill to the Antarctic ecosystem. This was followed by another marine mammal encounter! About 20 – 25 Type B2 killer whales were spotted ahead by the bridge team, who again slowly maneuvered around the pod, giving us a great chance to view the individuals while respecting the animals at the same time.
Having transited through the morning, we arrived at Cuverville Island in the afternoon. We had the opportunity to do both a landing on the island to visit the Gentoo penguin colony and an old whaling operation, as well as a Zodiac cruise around some impressive icebergs, where we were lucky enough to spot some humpback whales and a leopard seal hauled out on the ice.
With smiles all around, we were ready to relax and prepare for another action-packed day tomorrow.
