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DEL.ICIO.USUGA study abroad: Whales breathtaking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eleanor and the UGA group are getting closer and closer to Antarctica aboard the Polar Star. Check back tomorrow as the hit the ice on the first expedition to the continent. To catch up on the story, click here.
After a long night of bringing in the New Year, the majority of passengers slept in this morning. Usually I would be in that category, too,but not today with my ever-increasing excitement. Plus, that meant I had the bow’s seventh floor bridge all to myself with the officers. Our ship has an open bridge policy, which means everyone can go there at any time as long as they are quiet and respectful of the officer or officers on duty. I think the bridge is the best vantage point on the ship.
As we motored through the Southern Ocean, I could see endless ocean. Damon, the Polar Star expedition leader, said today was the calmest he has ever seen these waters. Guess I didn’t need the 72-hour motion sickness patch that I’m wearing. The patch has been itching, so the calm water gives me another reason to rip it off.
I spent my morning at the bridge learning how to read the logbook and take all the measurements it records. As one of our assignments we must measure multiple weather-related statistics to compare with the amount of wildlife we see. We are determining which, if any, factors play a role in the abundance of animals in the Antarctic.
The highlight of my day was taking control of the ship’s wheel. After spending a few hours with the officers in the bridge, they decided I could drive for five minutes. An exhilarating rush came over me as I guided our ship through the Southern Ocean. Of course, an officer was directly beside me and I didn’t do much except keep us on course, but who else can say they have steered a ship in Antarctic waters? After my fun, the ship went back onto autopilot for the remainder of our trip.
The officers continually played music in the bridge. What would you guess the entirely Polish bridge crew listened to? Yes, a few Polish songs occasionally, but the majority were American songs ranging from Snoop Dog to the Eagles. Plus they know the words to each American song better than I do.
Just before lunch, a light snow fell. I’ve never seen snow falling on the ocean. The tiny snowflakes glistened against the deep blue ocean and then melted upon contact. As with most weather down here, the snow ended within 20 minutes. Our Wisconsin-born Jeff Ziegeweid, a fellow student, walked the decks in flip-flops, shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. I think he just wanted to show that he could handle the cold, unlike Satish Reddy, another student, who sported three coats.
We traveled toward the southwest South Shetland Islands of Livingston, Greenwich, Robert and King George. We still had to traverse 95 nautical miles to reach them, but they appeared much closer.Because of their proximity to Tierra del Fuego, some of the first tourism was in the South Shetlands. The earliest mass tourism voyage to Antarctica occurred in 1973 when Cabo San Roque, a Spanish ship, carried 900 passengers to the South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula.
In late afternoon as we approached the South Shetlands, we spotted humpback whales. All 88 passengers dashed to the decks. Donning binoculars and cameras, passengers edged shoulder to shoulder for a prime location. Five humpbacks came within 250 yards of our ship. Two of them were only half a football field away as they breached and fanned their beautiful flippers at us. I think they were putting on a show for us because they hung around for more than 15 minutes in no hurry to leave.
“It didn’t really hit me that we’re in the middle of the ocean until I saw the whales. They’re such majestic animals. Instead of watching videos and doing work, seeing the whales really made the trip feel real,” said Annabel Filbert, an Oregon State University student’
The first whale sighting is always a huge deal. I’m sure after we’ve seen more, the fight for the perfect shot will diminish. Our 260-foot ship made multiple 360’s for each passenger to have a good look at the massive creatures. I had my camera ready for whales, but I could not help being mesmerized by nearby Livingston Island. Almost completely covered in snow, the island attracted my eye with its highest peak, Mount Friesland, reaching 5,807 feet.
Whale and island watching in only jeans, a T-shirt and a down jacket; I felt plenty warm in the 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit air. Antarctica’s dry cold feels warmer than the same temperature in Atlanta’s wet environment. Continuing on our course, we passed through the Nelson Strait with the islands of Robert and Nelson on either side.
Staring out the Observation Lounge windows, I see six icebergs bigger than our ship. The stark white icebergs are easily visible as they float casually amongst the placid, blue sea. The ship held a competition to see which passenger could record the closest time to when the bridge sighted the first iceberg. UGA student Tom Hamlin was within 10 minutes of the bridge’s time and thus received a free T-shirt. I doubt he’ll wear it tomorrow though since we have our first landing on Antarctica.
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