Danco Island and Portal Point, Antarctica, 12/13/2024, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
Overnight we traveled through the Gerlache Strait to arrive at Danco Island in the morning. At Danco Island we had a split landing to visit a gentoo penguin colony. For those who were feeling energized, a hike to the top of the island was available and it offered stunning views of the Errera Channel.
In the afternoon, we transited back through part of the Gerlache Strait to make a continental landing at Portal Point! The dark, cloudy vista really created a memorable atmosphere and ended a great day in Antarctica.
With an insatiable curiosity, Ezra has been drawn to travel the world and explore from a young age. Ezra pursued a degree in History from Colorado College, which only further piqued his interest to travel and see firsthand the places that he had read...
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Following a late evening show by the killer whales of the Gerlache Strait, expectations were high for a final day of fun for our guests. A sunny morning greeted National Geographic Explorer as she sent her landing craft to Half Moon Island, where naturalist scouting parties found a great deal of excitement ashore. Gentoo and chinstrap penguins hopped along the rocky shores of the island, delighting all with their movements and cries. Our hikes meandered along the shoreline and concluded with a viewing of two subadult Southern elephant seals sparring on the beach. Our final afternoon aboard was spent cruising through scenic Antarctic waters toward King George Island where guests came ashore and mingled with scientists headed home from missions on the island. As the sun set and we bid our farewell, we did so with a great deal of satisfaction.
It was a whale of a day! The total lack of wind created a flat sea surface illuminated by partly sunny skies with a touch of fog, perfect conditions for kayaking and Zodiac cruising. Kayakers paddled among icebergs and/or just sat and enjoyed the vistas. The occasional humpback surfaced, sometimes unexpectedly near a kayak, providing an exciting exclamation point. Zodiac cruisers ventured farther from National Geographic Explorer and encountered 20-25 humpbacks scattered over a wide area. Many were lunge feeding - rising slowly from the depths with hundreds of gallons of water and krill in their large mouths which then was filtered through their baleen to retain the krill. As the whole process can be a bit messy, dozens of fulmars darted about the feeding whales to snatch leftovers. After getting out of the kayaks and Zodiacs, we prepared for the Polar Plunge. Nearly everyone chose to fully immerse themselves (albeit for a few seconds) into the truly frigid Antarctic waters for the thrill, the shock, and the coveted patch verifying the plunge. After lunch, we cruised via ship the scenic Gerlache Strait, and during recap, orcas were spotted! Watching the pod of 8-10 individuals provided a fitting cap to this whale of a day!
The first day of 2025 was an eventful one, full of interesting adventures and insights exploring Antarctica aboard National Geographic Explorer . Shortly after breakfast, we reached the mouth of Charlotte Bay and made a landing on the Antarctic Continent at Portal Point. We climbed up to the top of the snow fields which provided views of the spectacular bay. Throughout the morning, we had many wonderful encounters with gentoo penguins, various seals, skuas and Arctic terns. The highlight of the morning was definitely whale watching from shore. We counted more than ten humpback whales that were lunge feeding and diving for basically the whole morning. During lunch we moved to Enterprise Island where we headed out for a Zodiac cruise around the old Guvernøren shipwreck. The story goes that this ship caught fire during a crew party in January, 1915 after a crew member bumped a burning lantern off a table. Then the ship was deliberately run aground. All 85 sailors survived but the whale oil was lost, along with ship. After a delicious dinner back on board, we were graced with a steady snowfall and more humpback whale sightings. We’re all looking forward to another day exploring tomorrow.
