After all of the hoops we needed to soar to get to Antarctica (in our previous post), right here we lastly had been. Antarctica!
Like, this took a short while for it to sink in.
I keep in mind wanting to go to for like 10 years after which it took plenty of planning to lastly get up to now and right here we had been in Antarctica.
I keep in mind considering to tempo myself once I received up in the midst of the evening for a pee however all these although went off of the figurative window the minute we opened the literal window.
We noticed ourselves surrounded by icebergs.
Suffice to say, there was no want for caffeine that morning. The solar wasn’t shining but it surely simply added all of the extra to that drama.
To not point out the recognizing of wildlife which had turn into much more frequent now that we had been in Antarctica.
Penguins bobbing throughout, extra seals on icebergs across the ship and the occasional whale within the distance.
We had been just about bouncing off the partitions all morning after which the captain determined to up the ante.
Because it seems, you possibly can go to Antarctica however not get into the Antarctic Circle.
The Antarctic Circle is lots decrease down and only a few ships ever make it that far south due to the ocean ice.
As you possibly can think about, the nearer it will get to the South Pole, the thicker the ocean ice is.
The Ocean Victory ship we took right down to Antarctica is definitely constructed to traverse the ice right here.
That being mentioned, the ocean ice on the journey to the Antarctic Circle is simply too densely packed and much too thick for many ships to undergo so lots by no means make it that far south.
They only don’t hassle making an attempt it.
Our captain nonetheless determined that the climate situations appeared nice and the ocean ice didn’t look too unhealthy so we might flip our entire itinerary on its head and enterprise far south into the Antarctic Circle.
If we left it a number of days extra, there’s an opportunity the climate may change or the ocean ice may get thicker and so we simply needed to take advantage of it whereas the situations allowed for it.
Seems, he was proper and with that, we had been the primary crusing of the season to get into the Antarctic Circle!
There have been whoops and cheers throughout with champagne all over the place to rejoice.
This was a milestone I didn’t even know we wanted to fulfill previous to the crusing but it surely was wonderful. Haha!
To be sincere, simply going to Antarctica is a sufficiently big win with or with out the cherry on the cake that’s crusing into the Antarctic Circle.
It was completely wonderful and such a superb strategy to begin the journey.
Plus now lets say we’ve been to the Arctic Circle (we did this a number of years in the past in Norway) and now the Antarctic Circle.
We spent the remainder of the day just about in awe of all the things we may see round us.
We’d already come throughout humpback whales, leopard seals, Weddell seals, Adélie penguins (that are tougher to identify than Gentoo or chinstrap penguins) and a few extremely humongous icebergs.
Then the top of the expedition workforce gave us a little bit of a shock announcement by saying that we’d be venturing out on our first zodiac expedition to Antarctica.
I didn’t assume it was doable to be much more excited than we already had been however seems, it is vitally doable certainly.
Keep in mind, once you’re in Antarctica, your plans are topic to alter relying on the climate.
So, having nice climate to have the ability to do a zodiac boat tour felt very very like the massive deal that it was. This was very true as this wasn’t a confirmed plan for the day earlier on.
Oh, and by the way in which, the waters had been very calm by this level.
It was calm sufficient to make us not hassle with the ocean illness tablets. Plus, these make you drowsy so it wasn’t one thing we wished to take if we didn’t should.
Saying that although, I did take one at evening. I figured the drowsiness wouldn’t matter an excessive amount of and that may hold any sea illness away whereas crusing at evening.
That turned out to be a terrific plan as I came upon a number of days later once I didn’t take them and began to really feel a bit of seasick whereas we had been crusing round in Antarctica.
Quickly sufficient, we had been referred to as to do right down to the mud room. Able to get suited up, booted up and life-jacket as much as get on the zodiac boats.
You additionally should disinfect your common garments earlier than you go so that you don’t carry contaminants with you.
It’s not likely achieved for brand new garments however for older garments and sneakers, particularly.
They don’t need you bringing invasive species to Antarctica. So, to assist with this, your boots are decontaminated earlier than and after you go on the boat (even if you happen to’re happening land).
Your garments are all achieved upfront of heading right down to the boats and the simplest strategy to describe that is that it’s primarily like they simply vacuum your garments.
The zodiac boat cruise was unimaginable.
You possibly can inform how wonderful and the way large a few of these icebergs are from afar but it surely doesn’t examine to once you get near them.
Their sheer measurement is simply mind-boggling; and that color too!
It’s a shade of blue you’ve by no means seen elsewhere and received’t overlook in a rush.
And yeah, that’s how we spent our first day in Antarctica.
We completed off with dinner and wine below the Antarctic midnight solar, which to be sincere, was behind some clouds however by no means truly set so it was vibrant all evening lengthy.
Keep in mind it’s summertime in Antarctica once you get to go to then so the solar doesn’t fairly set correctly then.
Catch you in the next blog post when we finally set foot on land in Antarctica.
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