Mar 26, 2018 - Iceberg Alley

I’ve seen penguins at the Calgary zoo, orcas at San Diego Zoo and seals and sea lions on Canada’s west coast, but one can only encounter icebergs in their natural habit and they are freakin’ awesome. These are the best of the best photos from my little iPhone.

Jan 4, 2018 - Jan 2nd 2018 Back to King George Island, in South Shetlands

So we return to King George Island where it all began 6 days ago and what a journey we have been on. We were offloaded by Zodiaks in a calm and warm day and we took the opportunity to visit the Russian Station gift shop and Russian Orthodox Church with their onsite priest( looking very much Lin the same style as Rasputin. We walked another 20 metres and we in Chile and the control of their base.. Took one last look around and on hearing the jet walked single file along the runway back to get into the plane only after every Chinese passenger...

Jan 4, 2018 - New Years Day Pm Half Moon Island

After rembarcing on the Ocean Nova we had lunch and a snooze on the pararamic bar on the 5th deck. Fortunately for me Alison was awake and spotted something just off port bow and said ther is something out of the window, wake up Bob I think they are orca. ORCA. Where's the camera when need you need. I watch for a few minutes as a pod of 4 head to the bow of the ship. I then am itching to get camera, to take photos, and yes whilst I was gone and back, the pod disappeared behind the icebergs and away. But at least I saw them, you shall just...

Jan 3, 2018 - Paulet Island and Madden cliffs

Having taken off in a small jet from Punta Arenas, we landed on a gravel runway of a Chilean controlled airbase. The reason why the flight landing is so weather related is because there is only a few lights to mark the runway and if they cannot be seen from 2km's the flight will be abandoned and returned. I cried when we hit the gravel as I knew that we were in Antartica albeit on the South Shetland Isles and the only stopping us now, would be the ability to get onto the ship via Zodiaks. Walking from the Chielan airbase, through a Russian...

Jan 3, 2018 - Happy New Year 2018, having just returned from Antarctica

Happy New Year and thanks to everyone that sent us greetings, it meant a lot. We landed yesterday back from Antarctica into Punta Arenas, but the wifi there is suspect at best and even worst with 120 people from around the world trying to email, post and phone relatives. So we did the next best thing went out had another fantastic Black Hake meal and went to bed to fly to Pueto Vadas which is where I am now trying to catch up on the past mind blowing, wonderous, awe inspiring, majestic and breathtaking places on the planet. So let's start...

Jan 3, 2018 - New Years Eve 2017 landing on the Antarctica Mainland at Neko Island

New Years Eve we had chugged further South to go onto the Mainland of Antarctica next to an old British Base. It was exciting because of the mirror like reflections that were on the sea surface as there was no wind and 4c temperature, positively summer!!!. We arrived onland first boat and first off, to head up and around another more penguin rookies this time Gooner penguins as Akison would call them, meaning Gentoo. We witneesesd a skewer taking chicks from a nest, just missed some Minnie whales in the sea, visited s British owned hut...

Jan 3, 2018 - New Years Day 2018

As you can probably tell, it has taken quite a few hours to update log and it has just turned midnight on January 4th, so I 'd best press on as Alison is gently snoring next to me. So back to New Years Day. Up early to ente Deception Island through a narrow entrance named Neptunes Bellows. Deception island as it is the collapsed caldera of a volcano and the smell of sulphur is funnelled through the gap. To make it even more impressive the wind was blowing the snow horizontal throughly the pass as we entered a live volcano. Itlast erupted in...

Jan 3, 2018 - Hydrurga Rocks Dec 30th 2017 Morning

New Years Eve morning, we had been pushing further south along the Antarctica Penisular to Two Hammock Island, where laying off an enclosed bay called Hydrurga rocks and went out on a Zodiak tour inbetween the thousands of ice bergs, it was more than perfect. We had learnt about the different structures of ice from pancake, greasy, black, compressed from snow, frozen from sea water and over another 10 varieties. The photos shown some of the amazing configurations of ice and iceberg. The most mind blowing is the black ice, that has been...

Jan 3, 2018 - December 30th Pm Dorian Bay

This New Year's Eve afternoon we headed to Anvers Island and particularly Dorian Bay. Another wet landing by Zodiak which meant we steeped out into the sea before walking on the beach and up to the nesting sites. This was a challenging landing and traverse mainly due to the rocky terrain covered in guano, yes decades of penguin guano. You. An smell the rookeries from 100 m off shore and you will always be passed by penguins fishing along the bay, sometimes 3 in a group and other times up to 30. It is really difficult to capture a photo as...

Dec 28, 2017 - Point Wild Elephant Island

Out for a short walk on the outside deck, very cold and windy with nothing to sea except white top waves, and it is snowing. A bit of breakfast and some work on gettting my pictures ready toWe arrive at the tip of Elephant Island at 11:00 AM, was a bit tougher ride with lots of white topped waves, with a very cold wind coming across the bow. The fog has lifted some so we can see the shore line, the captain turns the ship around and backs in so we can see the statue of Shackleton on Elephant Island, lots of big iceberg in the area some lager...

Dec 25, 2017 - Neko Harbour

Merry Christmas every one from Neko Harbour on the main continent of antarctica,another early morning walking the decks the sun is shining on the mountains covered with very deep snow, this harbour is surrounded by glacier where large chucks of ice breaking off and falling into the sea. After breakfast the ship pulls in to our hovering point and again we do not anchor with all the icebergs around us. At this point we are only 30 miles from the Weddell sea across the snow covered mountains, this was one of the bays where whaling ship would...

Dec 23, 2017 - Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands

Up at 5:00 AM a morning coffee and a walk around the decks checking out the area of South Shetland Island great, the weather is cold about 32 F with a brisk wind across the bow of the ship. Breakfast at at 6:30 AM and back on deck when We arrived at Half Moon Island and dropped anchor at 8:00 AM, the Expedition team out with the boats and I am the second boat group to leave the ship, we land at the beach and have about 90 minutes to explore the area, but we have to stay within the area that has been marked by flags, As we leave the ship...