Day Five
Today, we had an early start in an attempt to pack in three landings rather than two. Off the ship by 7 a.m., we found ourselves at Whalers’ Bay on Deception Island to learn a bit about the human history in Antarctica. The buildings here included the remains of the Norwegian Aktiese lskabet Hektor whaling station and a British Antarctic survey base which was evacuated during a volcanic eruption in 1967. Our guide Nigel – who’s a walking Wikipedia when it comes to Antarctica – showed us around the area. I found the whaling history particularly interesting. Before Norwegian whalers developed a way to process whales aboard ships, they brought them to this beach where the blubber was removed and cooked down in giant boilers to extract the oil used to power the street lamps of Europe’s major cities.
Back on board, my son and I had breakfast with Nigel and two special guests. Dr. Andrew Lowther and his partner work for the Norwegian Polar Institute and had been living in a tent along the shore of Whalers’ Bay since November. They’re studying nearby Chinstrap penguins and their eating habits to advise the Norwegian government on setting regulations for krill fishing in Antarctica. The government wants to make sure that the penguins have enough to eat while still supporting the lucrative fishing industry. To accomplish this, the scientists are mounting small cameras and GPS devices on the backs of penguins to track their movements. Andrew shared his penguin cam video with us. Take a look here. The researchers will be here another two months, surviving on dehydrated meals. Nigel was kind enough to offer them hot breakfasts and hot showers.
Our next stop was the researchers’ office – the Chinstrap penguin colony at Baily Head. We were extremely fortunate to land here; because of the surf conditions, a landing is often not possible. This colony visit was the highlight of the entire voyage. It’s difficult for me to describe just how extraordinary this place was. It’s home to the largest Chinstrap colony in Antarctica – 106,000 penguins! As you step onto the black sand beach, you find yourself at the end of a major penguin highway with hundreds of penguins in front of you, waddling to the sea and then diving in to embark on their search for food. As you venture farther up the beach, you find more penguins who are generally unfazed by your presence. Then you round a bend and are stopped dead in your tracks. You’re at the bottom of a valley with a steep cliff on one side and mountains on the other. Every rocky mound as far as your eyes can see is covered in cackling penguins! It’s impossible for a single photo to capture the spectacle. It’s honestly one of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen… and smelled! Chicks had just hatched 10 days earlier. They still were huddled in their nests close to their parents who were feeding them beak to beak. As incredible as the number of penguins was, our guide Falk would tell us later that the population is actually down by 50%, according to some accounts. Regardless, the trip to Antarctica was worth just this single moment.
Still in awe of Mother Nature, we listened as our guide Wendy gave an onboard presentation after lunch. She reviewed all the wildlife that we’d seen on the cruise thus far. It was only then that I realized that the staff had been keeping a running list in the ship’s lobby of all our wildlife sightings. According to the count, we’d seen 15 species of birds, four species of seals, and two species of whales.
Finally, we made our third and final landing at Fort Point. Here we were lucky to see four penguin species on one island: lots of Chinstraps and Gentoos, plus a single Adele who was swimming away and a single Macaroni. Macaroni penguins are very distinct with yellow feathers on their heads. Of the hundreds of photos that I took on this cruise, the picture of this one, lonely Macaroni penguin sitting in a sea of Chinstraps is my favorite.
That night, we celebrated our Antartica adventure with a farewell dinner: a mushroom soufflé for the appetizer, rack of lamb for the entrée, and Baked Alaska for dessert.
KidTripster Tip: Having a birthday or anniversary while at sea? The wait staff will celebrate with an enthusiastic song, cake, and gift just for you!
Day Six
And just like that, we returned to Frei Station where our adventure had begun. We had about an hour to explore the Russian side of the base before boarding our plane. There’s a Russian orthodox church perched on a hill that was built in Siberia, disassembled, and then reassembled in Antarctica. Inside, it’s quite ornate. There’s also a gift shop on the base, where the Russian clerk is very eager to sell you souvenirs. We stopped here to adorn our passports with unofficial Antarctica stamps. In the words of our expedition leader Cheli, it’s “highly illegal but strongly encouraged.”
As we waited to make our way to the airstrip, Antarctica 21’s next group of passengers marched by us – two Chinese tour groups and only five non-Chinese passengers. The Chinese children in our group greeted them by enthusiastically chatting “welcome to Antarctica” in Mandarin.
KidTripster Tip: The makeup of the passenger list will impact your experience on the ship. For example, if the Chinese passengers described above didn’t speak English and the other passengers didn’t speak Mandarin, it’s likely that those five passengers would get to know each other really well. If you’re looking to have a more diverse experience, ask whether any tour groups are booked on the particular sailing that you’re considering. As mentioned earlier, you’ll find the most diverse passenger list on the holiday sailings, which also are the most expensive.
Finally, a word about the crew and staff on board the Ocean Nova: they are exceptional and incredibly hardworking. Consider that most of them work two months straight, get five days off, and then work two more months. It’s remarkable that they can muster the necessary enthusiasm and energy cruise after cruise, but they do.
KidTripster Tip: As with other cruises, it’s customary to leave a tip for the staff. On Antarctica 21, the tip is split equally among all the crew members. While the amount is completely up to you, the average is around $15 per passenger per day.
As we say goodbye to Antarctica, we feel like we’ve been experiencing another planet – a remote, stunning, life-giving planet. We recognize that Antarctica is undergoing change. And as it changes, so too will the rest of the world. The earth’s future is very must tied to the continent’s ability to maintain what amounts to 90% of the ice on the planet. I encourage you to experience this incredibly unique destination for yourself.
This trip to Antarctica marked a milestone for Shellie Bailey-Shah and her son: their seventh continent! Read more about how to make this dream a reality for your family – including information on the costs involved – here.
This writer received a discounted cruise for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions expressed are solely her own.
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