11 Days in Antarctica

One cruise to Antarctica is never the same as another. When I was getting ready to head to Antarctica I didn’t really know what to expect. There are so many possibilities of places to see, weather patterns are constantly changing and the infamous Drake Passage has a knack for making last-minute alterations to the itinerary. On my first night aboard the Sea Spirit, I questioned whether I was going to even see Antarctica. The waves were so strong that the boat couldn’t even make it off the dock. Eventually, we did end up heading off to sea and the days that followed were some of my favorite. I took a cruise to Antarctica with Poseidon Expeditions on a tour called “Antarctic Peninsula”. Here’s a day-by-day look at my experience.

December 9th

I arrived at the bus pick-up location in downtown Ushuaia around 3:45 pm - right on schedule. We waited for quite a while for the rest of the passengers to arrive. It seemed like some people hadn’t quite kept up with the itinerary. Eventually, everyone showed up and we made our way aboard the ship just before 5:00 pm. The crew graciously welcomed everyone aboard the Sea Spirit - our home for the next 10 days. A beautiful, calm, and sunny day became a very windy one as we boarded the vessel for our departure. Once onboard we had a brief intro with some welcome cocktails before collecting our room keys. Luggage had been picked up from the hotel early that morning, so it was already waiting in the stateroom. I was surprised that the room was actually fairly spacious. Having stayed in an economy room for a Bahamas cruise before, I wasn’t expecting much space. I stayed in a double room where we had two twin beds, a couch and sitting area with a TV, a spacious closet that fit all four of our suitcases, and a private bathroom with a shower.

Later that afternoon was the safety drill. Everyone grabbed their life preservers and followed the crew’s instructions out onto the balcony. To be honest I think the life preservers probably wouldn’t do much good in the freezing Antarctic waters.

After the drill, I meandered around the ship before dinner. The vessel had 6 decks, 5 of which were accessible to passengers. There was a bar, library, restaurant, lounge, gym, and several balconies wrapping around the perimeter of the ship. Once we got to sailing we were told we’d also have access to “the bridge” which is the navigation center for the ship, were the captain and his crew sits.

Up at the lounge, I met two guys traveling from Israel who were the same age as myself. It was quite a relief. I chose to travel to Antarctica alone for several reasons. While I’m very comfortable traveling alone at this point, I was quite worried that I might be stuck on a “retirement” cruise for the next 10 days. It was nice to meet some other 20-somethings and to share the experience with.

Very typically for Ushuaia, the strong wind outside was pushing our small boat onto the pier and preventing our departure, delaying us by quite some time. The first night I had dinner in the restaurant with my roommate - a sweet older German woman. If you’re traveling alone, Poseidon allows you to book a bed only in a two or three-bed room, then pairs you up with a roommate. That way both of you can save on costs!

We had dinner with three older American guys traveling together and a quiet Indian couple. After dinner, we were greeted with some birthday cake for one of the American’s who was celebrating his birthday that day - a nice thoughtful touch from the crew.

The crew did a fabulous job keeping us entertained as we all waited in anticipation to leave. After dinner, we got to try on our new Poseidon Expedition parka & boots! I was quite impressed by the quality of the jacket they gave to us, and it was super warm. I went upstairs and read my book in the lounge for a bit later that night.

Finally, we managed to leave the pier at around 10 pm and set sail into the Beagle Channel - it would take 4 hours of sailing through the Beagle to hit the Drake Passage.

December 10th

With a poor forecast for the Drake Passage (6-8 m waves expected!) the captain took the sensible decision to remain within the relative shelter of the Beagle Channel until the bad weather had passed. We spent the day listening to informative lectures and enjoying the yummy food provided by our chefs! It was a windy day but with plenty of sunshine, and there were even a few birds in the area to spot, such as Black-browed Albatross, Brown Skua, South American Terns, and Blue-Eyed Cormorants. At around 10:30 pm we set sail again, finally heading out for our passage south to Antarctica!

December 11th

It takes about 36 hours to cross the Drake Passage once you leave the Beagle Channel, so we were supposed to hit Antarctica around the afternoon of December 12th. Today the sea was not quite as choppy as everyone had anticipated, but it did take some time for everybody to get their “sea legs” after a rather rough night! I had brought a bunch of seasickness remedies on board with me, and the ship doctor also had some stronger medication available. For the first 24 hours, I took chew-able Dramamine every 6 hours, and these Lemon-Ginger “stomach-settle” candies whenever I thought I was starting to feel an upset stomach. Laying down on your left side also does wonders if you feel seasick.

Overall I didn’t feel too bad. The number of passengers at breakfast the next morning was drastically less than the day before. Luckily for most people, the seasickness faded along with the choppy waves, and the excitement grew as we made good progress towards our destination. That day I went to a bunch of lectures on birds, Antarctica history, and photography.

I managed to take a dip in the hot tub before we set off crossing the Drake - a theme that would continue throughout the voyage. Today I met Nora from Germany, another passenger around my age, and also traveling alone.

There was also a couple on board from Doha - the husband works for Exxon. Such a small world.

I saw a bunch of birds on deck today but was absolutely terrible at identifying them. Luckily there were plenty of experienced bird watchers on board to give us some pointers. Lots of people were out trying to catch photos of the enormous birds as they effortlessly glided alongside the ship.

December 12th

This morning after grabbing breakfast I attended a lecture on seals. I learned that the Weddle seals make some fascinating noises that sound like underwater techno music. Instead of attending the second lecture on whales I made my way back outside to do some more bird watching. This morning there were lots of Painted Petrals and some Storm Petrals and Giant Petrals as well. I also spotted an Albatross - the largest bird in the world. The birds here were like none I’d ever seen - you could easily watch them for hours.

We had very pleasant sailing and a surprise early arrival at the South Shetland Islands! We had made such good speed all the way across the Drake that we were able to put down the zodiacs after an early lunch and head ashore to our first landing site: Barrientos Island. It was a small island that was relatively green. We had four groups for zodiacs, and I was in the first one today. I hopped in the first zodiac to go ashore.

On the island, we had our first penguin experience! Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins nest alongside each other on this rich island and the noise was quite impressive. Also, we were quite lucky to encounter a rather lost-looking, immature Macaroni penguin! Usually found breeding on the Sub-Antarctic islands, these crested penguins are only occasionally found here.

When we got to the island we walked up a hill to where a bunch of penguin nests were. The Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins were all nesting - some right in the same area as each other. On the other side of the island, there was a bay and a small elephant seal laying on the beach. Walking down the hill there were lots more penguin nests, and around the corner, there was a nice panoramic view over our ship.

We stayed for quite some time on land - it had to be a couple of hours. I spent some time just watching the penguins by myself. The Chinstraps were quite noisy, doing this “dance”, flapping their wings and singing loudly together. All the penguins were on alert for Skua birds which would come by and try to steal their eggs. Just watching them put a smile on my face. They’re so unafraid of humans you almost forget they’re wild.

After an early dinner, the crew decided we should make the most of the time and good weather and so we actually went out for a second landing in the evening! We landed at the very picturesque Half Moon Island. This was another small island in the shape of a half-moon. Stepping off of the zodiac there was a shipwreck to the left. Then climbing to the top of the beach, I turned right and walked over the rocky terrain to the lookout point.

You could see an Argentinian research station painted with the country’s flag off in the distance. We were told not much research actually happens there; it’s more just for show - hence the flag painting on the building roofs.

Heading back to the beach there was a small colony of Chinstraps nesting on a rocky spot. One penguin kept trying to steal stones from another. Her two nesting neighbors then had an argument and were having what looked like a sword fight with their beaks.

Walking even farther down the beach there was a small viewpoint over to the back of the island. A penguin highway - a track used by a colony of penguins to travel - was just below.

After a while, the crew called us back and I headed back to my room for the night to get some much-needed sleep after an exciting first day.

December 13th

Overnight we had traveled quite a bit further south to reach the main Antarctic peninsula. This morning was all about sunshine, snow & ice and PENGUINS! An incredible morning was spent in the hot sunshine at Cuverville Island – a prime nesting spot for thousands of Gentoo penguins and also a ‘resting’ place for many icebergs which get stuck here in the shallow bay near the landing site.

I came ashore on one of the last boats (since we were first yesterday) and headed straight for the hike to the viewpoint. We could climb the steep slopes of the island for a gorgeous viewpoint at the top – many, many photos were taken, that’s for sure! It took about 20 minutes to get to the top, snaking back and forth across the hill traversing lots of penguin highways along the way. At the top there was a beautiful view over the bay below. Some of the passengers up there were quite loud though, so I didn’t stay for too long.

At the bottom of the hill, I headed towards the left side of the island where one of the guides was standing by a small penguin colony. I stayed for a bit watching the penguins and taking a few photos before heading back to the other side of the island. There was an option today to go for zodiac cruise through the icebergs if you were back 30 min early. When I was about to get there for the cruise, the line was super long so instead, I made my way to a quiet part of the island.

There was a flag route up but no passengers (or guides) in sight, so I thought I might have been going the wrong way. I kept walking, stopping for multiple penguin crossings along the way. I came to the end of the path where it opened up to an area surrounded by nests. It was quiet there other than the sounds of the penguins, so I spent some time just sitting and watching them. This was the first time I really felt Antarctica. It was really special to be alone out there watching these penguins with icebergs cracking and falling behind them.

I started heading back to return to the ship at what I thought was the right time. I had to stop for multiple penguins along the way because of all the highways. You’re supposed to try really hard to stay 6 ft away from the penguins and give them the right of way. Sometimes though, they just don’t feel like moving… By the time I got through I was the last one to the zodiac. Luckily they didn’t seem to really mind - at least they didn’t leave without me! On our return to the ship, we cruised among the beautiful icebergs - just an abbreviated version of the cruise earlier so I didn’t end up missing much at all.

After lunch, we anchored Sea Spirit off Neko Harbour – another sunny, penguin-filled, snowy treasure spot. This was our first continental landing! Once we landed, we weren’t supposed to stand on the beach in case a glacier piece fell off and created a mini tidal wave. This landing also had a good hike to a viewpoint and I slowly made my way up the path. At the top, there was quite a photoshoot going on as usual. I got in line and took some photos before sitting back and observing the view for a bit. The glacier itself was magnificent - just huge.

I eventually walked back down and headed to the path on the left side of the island. We walked over a penguin highway just as a few were heading up and got a great view of them. I met up with Nora and we walked a bit further, but as we continued the path was starting to close. It was time to head back to the ship. I snapped a few more photos before getting on the zodiac. The new goal was to always take the last zodiac back.

That day after lunch we were sitting on the back deck - Saar, Maor, Nora and I - and someone spotted Orcas! Everyone rushed to the left side of the boat to watch them. they made an announcement that the Orcas were at the front of the ship so we headed up to “the bridge” and out on the front deck to take a look. There were several out in front of us and I got a great look at them.

After dinner that night we were going camping! There was a briefing two days before where we got all of our gear. For sleeping we had an inner liner, a warm sleeping bag and an outer bivy sack that was waterproof. We would dig a hole about 1 ft deep and lay down one sleeping mat to keep us off of the snow. I was in the third camping group so I had some time after dinner. I tried not to drink too much water as I was most nervous about the lack of bathroom onshore that night. We only had an emergency bucket…

we left after 9 pm and I got on the zodiac over to the small island we were camping on. I picked a spot with a good view away from the noisy crowd. I dug my hole and layed down my sleeping setup. I sat in my spot for a little while watching the sunset - or what sunset there was; the sun never really fully set. Then it was time to try and sleep. Because the bivy sack was waterproof I was afraid I could suffocate without an air hole to breath. Really I don’t think this would actually happen, I was just being paranoid. I spent lots of time trying to make sure I maintained this hole for breathing air. In the end I didn’t sleep all that much. There was something very special though about sleeping outside in this place.

December 14th

We headed back to the ship from camping around 5 am after having to fill our sleeping holes back in (which was quite a challenge). The snow I dug out the night before had become quite icy and frozen. I managed to get it eventually and made my way down to the zodiac. I spent about two hours sleeping back in my bed before breakfast at 8 am.

The rather cold and cloudy start to today soon made way for another sunshine-filled morning in Antarctica. Useful Island is one of the most gorgeous places we visited, with a narrow channel filled with small and intricate icebergs, crystal clear water and interesting rock formations. The snow-covered island had many nesting Gentoos on the lower slopes and a small colony of noisy Chinstraps at the top of the Island – also a place for incredible views to the surrounding ice-capped mountains. There were lots of big rocks to take photos on.

After we walked back down and headed to the left side of the island where there were some penguin nests.

We heard there were some Weddell seals so we back-tracked a bit to go see them. Four Weddell seals were lazing on shore, making the most of the warm sun, too. As we cruised into the island we actually caught a brief glimpse of one single Adélie penguin. Our first of this true Antarctic penguin species, so we were pretty excited to see it! On the way back to the ship, a Crabeater seal decided to haul out onto a small ice floe just near our route.

After lunch we were supposed to land at Orne Harbor - a peninsula landing with a big hike to a viewpoint, but unfortunately the landing site was not suitable and there was a lot of ice blocking our usual spot in the bay. The sun was still shining brightly and we had spotted some Humpback whales in this beautiful ice-strewn area, so the crew decided to take us zodiac cruising instead.

We headed out and spotted some whales right away. Our driver Chris took us out about 10 min away from the boat and we saw many, many, more whales. We watched them for a awhile, slowly getting closer and following them around. After we drove over to a very blue iceberg and saw some whales over there too. After about 90 min we headed back to the ship and Chris told us about the polar plunge.

I got back and put on my swimsuit before heading to the deck to get in line for the plunge. I was the sixth one in the water. It was absolutely freezing - colder than I expected. I quickly got right back out, so fast that some of my hair didn’t even get wet!

After that Nora and I went back up to the hot tub to warm up before dinner. Later that night we ended up going back for another 2.5 hour jacuzzi time and saw the most amazing sunset. It was stunningly beautiful and lasted for several hours.

December 15th

The British research station we were going to visit was blocked by sea ice. Instead, the crew took the decision to bring usto the wilds of the Antarctic Sound today, for the chance to maybe see one of the World’s biggest icebergs! “A68A” is an enormous tabular iceberg which broke off the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2017. With a length of approximately 147km and 44km wide, this was an immense piece of ice that had been in this part of the Weddell Sea since it broke away from the shelf. So large, it had its own weather system!

Before we took Sea Spirit around to the notorious Eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, we were supposed to make a landing at a place called Gourdin Island. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. The Expedition team went out in the scout zodiac this morning, but after riding steep and choppy waves with gusts of wind reaching +50 knots, they returned, soaked and salted with the news that of course a landing in these conditions would not be safe.

We moved on and at around 11 am the team again went out to check the landing site at Brown Bluff. Luckily the water was calmer here and we could make a landing. Once ashore I first headed towards the Adélie penguin colony, passing some beached icebergs on the way. The Adélies were nesting and several of them had baby chicks. Many Adélies still had one egg and one chick, indicating that those chicks were probably only a day or two old.

I also walked towards the left side of the island after a while. the path here was slippery and led to a viewpoint over a beautiful, blue glacier front, complete with a gorgeous Weddell seal laying nearby.

I went back to watch the Adélie penguin checks for a while longer before heading back to the zodiacs. Adélie penguins are my favorite to watch. They truly have some personality and spunk.

Once back on board, we warmed up with a late lunch and then we turned the ship in search of that very special piece of ice… passing through the Erebus & Terror Gulf and sliding past islands that the first explorers recorded in their log books all those years before was a very memorable experience; for the Expedition team, too. We found the iceberg A68A at coordinates 64° 08,4’W, 055° 26,6’W. We were some of the first 1000 people to see it in real life and even the captain was so excited he came down and took a photo with all of us. We celebrated with some mulled wine before turning the ship back north towards the South Shetland Islands.

December 16th

This morning we sailed through Neptune’s Bellows - a 300 m wide entrance to the flooded caldera of Deception Island’s active volcano. Bathed in unusual bright sunshine, the island showed us all of its beautiful volcanic colours, Cape Petrels flitting back and forth beneath the cliffs of the Bellows, as we passed by their nesting site in this narrow channel. We anchored off Pendulum cove and as we went ashore, it was possible to see the shoreline steaming as the cold water washed over the hot, black volcanic sand – the small tidal pools here are hot enough that the krill is actually being cooked! Many perished krill could be found along the shore here, providing plenty of food for Skuas.

We walked down the beach and tried to hike up the ridge but made it about 2/3 the way up before the guides told us that was too far. Instead we walked back towards a little path up a glacier. It was slippery and steep getting up so we slide down the glacier face on the way down. This wasn’t the prescribed path but we had a little fun.

Lastly we walked over to the Chilean research station which was destroyed previously.

After lunch we again dropped anchor and took a very long zodiac ride into the shore at Elephant Point – of course to see Elephants…but, sea Elephants! As we were making our landing a huge wave crashed over the zodiac. It filled my snow mittens full up with seawater - so those were no good for this landing. Of course it was the coldest landing we had made, but the Elephant seals were 100% worth standing out in the cold for as long as possible. Here we marveled at these incredible sea mammals that have come to this bit of coastline to moult their old skins. Elephant seals breed in October/November and many of their pups were here too, now weaned and independent from their mothers, laying happily together in the sand. Whilst molting these animals will not go to sea, but remain on the land until their new skin has finished coming through. There were a mixture of ages, from the pups at just a couple of months’ old, to some larger males at maybe 5 years old. The majority of the Elephant seals we saw were actually males. They heaped together on the shore for warmth, jostling for space and occasionally play fighting.

I did the “fast hike” on the landing. We walked through some tall rock formations before heading onto a beach. There were more Elephant seals here. We then headed up onto an ice cap! It was probably the first time anyone had walked on that ice cap. After, we scurried over the moraine (glacier rock deposits) to the view point. the moraine is filled with some very muddy spots and all of us certainly came back with some dirty boots.

We walked back to the Elephant seal pile and watched them a while longer, soaking up the last landing in Antarctica before heading back.

December 17th

This morning we awoke to “Drake Lake”! How lucky we were with the weather on this voyage, after such a windy start to the trip. Hardly any swell and no wind today, just a smooth, oily ocean and gently overcast skies. There was still some movement on the ship, but the water was smooth and clear.

I went to lectures on plastic in the ocean and one of the crew members north pole women’s ski trek.

At lunch we felt the ship suddenly make a u-turn. It spooked a bunch of us. It ended up being that some pieces of the crashed Chilean airplane that went down during our first crossing were floating in the water.

After lunch another one of the crew members gave a lecture on wintering over in Antarctica at a research station. There was later an auction where one passenger bought a flag for $500 - but hey it was for charity!

The Drake could not let us pass without showing us its true nature… in the night we experienced just a few hours of what it can be like and a few things went flying in the cabins. It was bumpy for sure, but short-lived at least.

December 18th

Smooth again today, with an overcast sky and some drizzle. And sadly not many birds to join us… again, not really enough wind. One of the windiest places to be at sea, but we are “lucky” to have this calm. There were plenty of lectures and plenty of lovely, yummy food to keep us happy and entertained again today as we made our way slowly home.

December 19th

The time to say farewell finally came. I spent a few hours back in Ushuaia before catching a taxi to the airport and beginning the long journey home.