We woke up cruising towards Paulet Island where we completed our first Antarctic landing of the expedition. Paulet Island is a volcanic island that houses an Adelie penguin colony of over 100,000 breeding pairs. We explored the island by foot, walking along the border of a colony and then switched to explore via Zodiac cruise. Adelie penguins porpoised in, around, and under our Zodiacs and even a few humpback whales swam by the island while we were there.
In the afternoon, we headed towards Joinville Island where we landed at Tay Head and enjoyed a wonderfully sunny afternoon. Many of us shed our layers and slathered on sunscreen as we enjoyed the austral summer day, walking across a pebbly tombolo to visit another Adelie colony. At this time of year, many chicks are just a few weeks old, covered in their fluffy down feathers. These Adelie penguins provide endless entertainment, as the chicks pestered the adults for food, chased after each other in the snow, and squawked as they looked for their mates.
It was all smiles and rosy sun-kissed cheeks as we returned to National Geographic Resolution for a recap, and we continued cruising southward into the Weddel Sea.
