Awe-Inspiring Beauty of Antarctica

We missed our zodiac landing this afternoon due to high wind conditions at both our primary and secondary landing sites.  What a treat it turned out to be.

Icebergs of many sizes and shapes were  floating in a long beautiful line all along the narrow, spectacular channel we were sailing through.

Some had been there for many weeks and were broken apart into many smaller pieces, each presenting a unique form, floating merrily along at a fast pace.  Others were huge, over 80 feet tall, dwarfing the ship and were pristine and new, having just launched from a nearby glacier.  These were grounded on the bottom or barely moving in a long, majestic line.

Some had pools of light blue water resting delicately in the top center of the berg, others with large caverns of deep blue enticing us to enter while still others had large holes to peer through or  ice bridges just waiting to collapse. 

There was a grand stream of water running off the top of one fifty foot tall glacier.  Yet another held both Gentoo and Adele penguins along with a seal.  One iceberg seemed to be there for a penguin contest of who could leap the highest – the penguins were leaping 3 – 4 feet to attempt to get up to the landing zone – and made it about 1/2 the time.

Always something magical and new to see in Antarctica, even when your initial objective is elusive. Let Polar Cruises send you to the land of ice and penguins!

http://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/

Blog post by Jim Taylor our webmaster aboard the Adventurer in Antarctica