Whaling

Prior to embarking on this voyage, I think the thing I most anticipated was the possibility of seeing some whales. I had never had that experience before, so I was hoping that I would be able to see whether whale-watching lived up to the hype.

I'm glad to inform you that it exceeded all my expectations.

During the first seven days of the journey, we encountered no whales and I had resigned myself to thinking that it was too early in the season to see any whales. I was OK with that, given the amount of magnificent things I was experiencing.

The next day, Martin awoke us with reports of whales on the port side of the ship. I hurried to the bow and was lucky enough to see a few minke whales off in the distance. They really made me happy.

But the next day, during a Zodiac cruise in Neeko Harbor, we chased some humpbacks that the captain had seen from the bridge of the ship. We got REALLY close to a mother humpback and her calf who seemed to be feeding on krill.

I really can't describe how awe-inspiring it was to see those beautiful animals up-close. I once again felt humbled by the beauty of Antarctica and its wildlife.