Both of our expeditions today were Zodiac trips--no shore landings. The morning expedition was Cierva Cove, with lots of icebergs. Afternoon was Spert Island, with interesting geology, a few seals, and more ice.
Before our morning expedition, we were visited by a fleet (or whatever the word is) of Orca whales.
Meanwhile, the Argentine navy continued to keep a close watch on us.....
Into the Zodiacs for our morning tour.....
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| Yes, it was that color |
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| An Argentine base |
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| Closeup of an iceberg |
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| More ice sculpture |
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| Up close and personal with some ice |
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| An ice cave |
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| Some perspective on the size of the icebergs |
According to the guide, the more compressed the ice gets, the clearer it gets. The photo below shows ice in various stages of compression.
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| A sample of some very old ice |
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| I think this is a kelp gull |
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| A skua |
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| Another skua, or maybe the same one |
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| Gentoo penguins |
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| A penguin and skua keep close eye on the Argentine base |
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| Kayakers navigating the ice |
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| Kayakers, penguins and glaciers |
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| More perspective on the icebergs |
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| Under an iceberg |
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| A Weddell seal |
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| A Zodiac convoy |
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| Why you shouldn't walk on a glacier |
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| This is where Superman stays when he visits Antarctica |
After returning to the boat, we had an outdoor barbecue.
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| Another collection of Orca whales |
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| What happens to the ice we collect on the Zodiacs |
Our afternoon Zodiac excursion was around Spert Island, which has a lot of interesting rock formations. Our guide was a geologist and he had never been to Spert Island, so he was excited, to say the least.
Next:
Back to Ushuaia, and home
