Antarctica, December 2004
 The Antarctic Peninsula
Between 12 December and 22 December 2004, I travelled aboard the Akademik Ioffe from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), across the Drake passage, and down the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula as far south as 65°14'S. The expedition didn't reach the Antarctic Circle, which is at 66°7'S, but we saw plenty of ice and snow.
Wandering albatross.
The Wandering albatross can often be seen in the Drake Passage between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula.
Humpback whales.
Humpback whales may also be seen, if you are lucky.
Antarctic waves.
Crossing the Drake can be a rough ride, but we were lucky and the waves were fairly reasonable for the most part.
South Shetland Islands.
En route to Antarctica proper we passed through the South Shetland islands. We saw many icebergs, some small and some not so small.
Gentoo penguins at Dorion Bay.
The snow was deep at Dorion Bay. Humans used snowshoes and the Gentoo penguins used their own paths, or "penguin highways" as they are sometimes called.
Gentoo penguin diving into the water.
Penguin flights are usually short and either from the shore into the water...
Gentoo penguin jumping out of the water.
...or out of the water onto the shore.
'Porpoising' Gentoo penguins.
Sometimes penguins at sea will jump like porpoises. It allows them to breathe without stopping.
Chinstrap penguin.
How do you think the Chinstrap penguin got its name?
Crabeater seal.
A Crabeater seal on an icefloe in Paradise Harbour and the Akademik Ioffe in the background. By the way, crabeater seals eat krill, not crabs.
Lemaire Channel.
The ship passed through the Lemaire Channel in the middle of the night.
Eye of an Adélie penguin.
After looking an Adélie penguin in the eye...
Adélie penguin on its nest.
...we turned back north again, leaving nothing but footprints in the Antarctic snow.
Creative Commons License   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License © S Tamm 17 April 2005.