We couldn’t see land as we approached the Antarctic continent in the morning, but icebergs and porpoising penguins became elements of the seascape as we sailed to King George Island.
In the afternoon, guests were offered two rounds of Zodiac cruises around nearby Ardley Island. We had opportunities to see rich wildlife, including an elephant seal, numerous adult and young gentoo penguins, some chinstrap penguins, blue-eyed Antarctic shags, skuas, Antarctic terns, Wilson’s storm petrels, and kelp gulls. The volcanic landscape was quite impressive with its steep basalt peaks protruding over softer volcanic ash deposits. Millions of years ago, a volcano was active here. Since then, glaciers have reshaped the landscape.
In the evening, Captain Yury Tupikov welcomed guests to Antarctica during cocktail hour.
