February 6, 2025
(Continuation of our adventures on January 20, 2025)
There were some fun things going on while we were in the Drake. We had various classes we could attend. The expedition staff were very knowledgeable and even though we had done some research before embarking on our adventure we learned lots. There were specialists in penguins, whales, and other sea birds as well as a historian on all things Antarctic. When things began calming down from our passage, the crew were able to open the decks and we could visit the bridge and watch our Captain and crew at work. Our Captain and crew were all from Croatia and he sometimes for fun he called his crew the Croatian Mafia. They were all very nice and thankfully very competent and most concerned about our safety and enjoyment of our cruise.
With the decks open, we could be outside watching for whales, birds, dolphins etc. We were so excited when we saw our first whale blow. Then, we saw fin whales, humpback whales and a blue whale that came up right beside the ship.
Blue Whales are massive. They are the largest animals to have ever lived on earth. The Antarctic blue whales are generally larger than other blue whales, weighing up to 330,000 pounds and 110 feet long. The females are larger than the males. They are named for their gray coloring which appears light blue underwater. We did not realize what a very special event it was that we got to see this amazing creature. After all the excitement, we learned most of our guides had never seen a blue whale and one had seen 3 previously in his 14 years of guiding. Blue whales are now on the endangered list. They generally swim at about 5 miles an hour but can accelerate to more than 20 miles an hour for short bursts. They are also among the loudest animals on the planet emitting a series of pulses, groans and moans, that in the right conditions can be heard by other whales up to 1,000 miles away. Click here for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration web site for blue whale sounds.
God created such an amazing world for us to take care of. We constantly thanked God for allowing us to have this experience.
After dinner on January 20, we were able to board our zodiacs for the first time. It doesn’t get dark until about midnight – so why not. There would be no shore landing this time, but we learned how to board our zodiacs and go see neat things. Again – so exciting – and a little scary. We went out to Penguin Island at Turret Point in the South Shetland Islands and were able to see elephant nose seals (so ugly they are cute?), Antarctic fur seals, and chinstrap penguins – so very cute. It was a very busy and exciting day. On returning to the ship we collapsed into bed.
RVing With a Purpose 