In Costa Rica we stayed at a nice resort
right on the beach. If you follow this link
or click on the photo below you will see
some of the fascinating wildlife,
people, and scenery of Costa Rica. When
you are done come back this way and lets
head on to Antarctica.
On our voyage we
spent all our time in the Antarctic
peninsula, which is just a tiny sliver
when compared to the whole continent.
The large red arrows point to Ushuia,
our starting point, and the Antarctic
peninsula.
Our first chance to see the
peninsula was Deception Island, where
the above picture of me in the water was
taken, and where most of us became
members of the Antarctic "Hot Tub Club".
Click
on this map below for a more
detailed itinerary showing each of the
ports we stopped at for pictures and
zodiak rides, along with some
information on the Antarctic Treaty.
Our Antarctica
trip really started in Ushuia, the
southernmost city in the world.
"Fin Del Mundo"- the end of the world
We took a quick tour of Tierra del Fuego
National Park. The name means land of
the fire.
The early explorers coined this name
when they observed the fires in the
distance made by the native Indians.
After our
tour we boarded our home for the
next 10 days, a ship called the Explorer
II.
The Explorer II is a double hulled
expedition ship. The double hull gave me
some peace of mind since the Explorer I
literally sank just a few months prior
to our trip. Click
on the photo below to see a few
more photos of this ship, along with a
present from the crew as we left port.
This is an article from the newspaper on
what happened to the Explorer I in November
of 2007
This
rainbow was a good omen as we left
Ushuia and cruised through the Beagle
channel on our way to the dreaded Drake
Passage. In case you are not aware, this
body of water is where the Pacific and
Atlantic oceans meet, and can be some of
the roughest water on the planet.
We got lucky. The 2 day ride through
the Drake Passage was about as calm as
it could get.
The crew coined it "The Drake Lake".
We spent as much time outside as we
could in order to take advantage of the
calm waters
On the way
out our speakers gave us some
presentations.
Dr.
Walton teaching us about the natural
history of the wildlife.
She was also part of the Expedition Team
that took us onshore in zodiacs.
Dr. Mader talking about medical
aspects of Antarctic wildlife.
Dr. Barten sharing his
significant photographic expertise
Yours truly also talking about
digital photography
We had some
action on the way out. The Expedition
crew spotted this pectoral fin and
yelled at all of us to get on deck and
bring those fancy cameras we all brought
along because we have visitors- humpback
whales!
The captain was proud of us as we
practiced our humpback whale sighting
drill and
were ready to shoot pictures in an
instant
They slowly approached our boat....
...swam around us a little....
....and then dove to feed on a large school
of krill under the ship.
Only one day into the Drake and the good
luck continues!
One whale gave us a beautiful view
of the underside of its fluke
I sent it to the Antarctic Humpback
Whale Catalog for identification
purposes
Just in case you come across
any whale flukes on your next Antarctic
journey their email address is
http://199.33.141.23/antarctic/
As we
continued our ride through the Drake the
pelagic birds made their appearance.
They are curious about our ship and any
food they might get, so they swoop
around the boat as the wind carries them
zipping by.
This was a good time to practice
focusing on fast moving objects- in this
case a Cape Petrel
I
have lots of bird photos like this
Blue-eyed shag. Click on
the photo below to see a few of
the birds we met on our trip. You
will see sheathbills, skuas, and
Antarctic terns. Penguin photos
are up next and get their own special
page.
As we got near the Antarctic
peninsula we got our first taste of
penguins.
I captured these porpoising penguins
from the mother ship by shutting my
eyes, pushing the shutter button,
and then keeping my fingers
crossed. For as comical as they are
when they waddle around
on land
they move with lightning speed in the
water.
During our zodiak trips we had them
coming at us from all directions
They
pop up in an instant, and disappear just
as fast. I had to literally focus
on the water where I would anticipate
they would appear. Don't ask how
many photos like this one below I took
of only rippling water trying to capture
such fast moving subjects.
There were a few keepers in the
hundreds of photos I usually shot in
vain
We encountered three different species of
penguin on land
This is the chinstrap
The gentoo
The Adelie
Click on the
photo below if you want to visit a
page that has a whole lot of very cute
penguins and their young.
Interacting with this vast number of
penguins was the highlight of the trip
for some of us.
One of the more
intimidating predators we encountered was
the Leopard Seal. It has a serpentine body
and a face that can freeze prey just by the
sinister look it has.
I have some great photos of a Leopard Seal
attacking a Blue-eyed shag in the water.
Click on the
photo below to see this awesome
predator in action.
We came across other seals also. None of
them were quite as active as those Leopard
Seals
Weddell Seal
Crab-eating seal
We visited many
locations that had historic significance.
Click on the
house picture below to see some
scenery shots of icebergs, glaciers, and
research sites.
And
oh yes, we had quite the eclectic group
of veterinarians to say the least.
Click on the picture to meet some of our
fellow
intrepid explorers
All too soon its time to head back,
leaving this beautiful scenery on a warm
summer day in Antarctica.
This is the Gerlache strait from the map
show earlier.
The breeze kicked up just around the
time this photo (thanks Steve) was taken
as we headed back in to the Drake.
It was an omen of things to come
We weren't so
lucky on the ride back. The
Drake Lake became the Drake monster for
some people as they stayed in their
cabins to ride (puke) out the worst of
it. I took this picture from our room
window before it got dark and the rough
water really started. The next day the
captain said the waves overnight were 30
feet ( a 7 out of 10 on the Drake
meter), but he gave us permission to say
they were 50 foot waves. Lucky the boat
has stabilizers!
Return
to the Digital Photography page to
see other adventure trips
