Antarctica reached – Whales, Icebergs, and Penguins

Our first few hours down here at the edge of Earth’s southernmost continent were of the foggy and windy mind. As with everything in life, good things come to those who wait and sure enough, by early afternoon, the sun broke through and showered us with endless light across these magnificent landscapes.

Our expedition leader Mike prepared us for the eventuality of experiencing pods of whales feeding on the abundant creel in the pristine, nutrient-rich waters. However, the show that followed (as if ordered by Silversea) was a two-hour outdoor spectacle of blows visible across the horizon, some near and others a bit further away that far exceeded any expectations.

Surrounded by icebergs throughout these scenic cruising hours, our captain had his work cut out as he steered our Silver Cloud safely through these icy obstacles (remember that only about 10% of their size floats above water.

Speaking of icebergs, of interest from NPR as I am “relatively speaking” very close to this gargantuan occurrence. Largest iceberg in the world, 40 miles wide, is now heading into the open ocean – https://www.npr.org/2023/12/01/1215141574/antarctica-iceberg-a23a-location

Finally, penguins by the millions. As of the end of today, our expedition leader Mike estimated our penguin sightings to fall somewhere between 4 and 5 million so far. These curious critters are everywhere, on land, on icebergs, in the sea. Mesmerizing!