Our morning in Cierva Cove started quite cold but beautifully, with the right balance of clouds and sunshine to admire the blue ice in this large bay filled with icebergs and brash ice. Our program was Zodiac cruising for one half of our guests and ship cruising closer to the glacier for the other half, before switching. During our Zodiac cruise, we had the pleasure of seeing chinstrap penguins in the water as well as on shore, icebergs of all sizes and shapes, and humpback whales. Later in the morning, we briefly spotted a group of four or five orcas, including a calf. It was the most amazing sighting, and both Zodiac and ship cruisers got to enjoy it. Needless to say, we could have stayed there forever if not for the heavy snowfall that started as we finished. We continued further north, chasing the sunshine in Mikkelsen Harbour, where we had a landing by a colony of gentoo penguins. Everybody got to see the gentoo chicks; they are already big by this time of the year. A great session of recap and underwater footage concluded this fantastic day.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 09 Feb 2025
Cierva Cove and Mikkelsen Harbour, 2/9/2025, National Geographic Explorer
- Aboard the National Geographic Explorer
- Antarctica
Antarctica Direct: Sail and Fly the Drake Passage
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