Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Antarctica--Cierva Cove and Spert Island

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.....


Yes, it was that color

An Argentine base

Closeup of an iceberg

More ice sculpture

Up close and personal with some ice

An ice cave

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.


A sample of some very old ice

I think this is a kelp gull


A skua

Another skua, or maybe the same one


Gentoo penguins

A penguin and skua keep close eye on the Argentine base

Kayakers navigating the ice

Kayakers, penguins and glaciers



More perspective on the icebergs






Under an iceberg
A Weddell seal



A Zodiac convoy

Why you shouldn't walk on a glacier



This is where Superman stays when he visits Antarctica




After returning to the boat, we had an outdoor barbecue.





Another collection of Orca whales


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.




 




 








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