Detaille Island

Day 13...Wednesday....January 20, 2016
  
" I had a dream when I was 22 that someday I would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till I came to one of the poles of the earth”     
                                                                                                            ― Ernest Shackleton

        All throughout the night the captain sailed the Ocean Diamond north around Adelaide Island, and then south to the eastern side of the island. We were well below the Antarctic Circle.

        It was snowing harder and colder than yesterday, but we were full of adventure! 




   



                                          We were headed for Detaille Island!

Typically, landing at tiny Detaille Island can not be made due to high winds and rough seas. As our expedition leader, "Woody" wrote in the ship's Voyage Journal: "We were fortunate enough that the ice conditions allowed us to make a landing at Detaille Island, home to British base ‘W’." 
      This provided a unique opportunity to visit one of the most isolated bases that has been maintained to be as it was in the 1959, when it was closed (due to difficulties with the sea ice). It is home to thousands of original artefacts. The base was also home to the first Antarctic Tennis Club, following the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit in 1957."
     




         Once onshore, we joined the Adelie penguins and walked up thru the deep snow towards Britain's abandoned "Base W".



                                     
                                  It felt great to be on terra firma again!



Here we are, below the Antarctic Circle and we feel like we are on top of the world!




                                           We walked to Britain's abandoned "Base W".
      In the summer of 1958-1959, severe weather conditions prompted the researchers in Base W to hurriedly depart which dictated the necessity that they take precious little with them. Base W  is an eerily preserved time capsule of 1950's Antarctic life. 

     It was amazing to us that Base W has continued to remain so well preserved. SInce so few ships venture this far south of the Antarctic Circle, we felt privileged to be there and see the spartan conditions these brave researchers endured.

  Another highlight of our day was seeing our first Adelie penguins with their chicks! They were so tame. Many walked right up to us. It was like the Galapagos Islands in snow!

    
     The Adelie's chicks were nearly as tall as the adult penguins. The chicks were still covered in their downy coats, making them unable to swim and thus feed themselves. The chicks received their nourishment from their parents who regurgitated krill and squid. Much to the consternation of the "parents", their chicks have an insatiable appetite!

       Later in the day we were back in the zodiac for an excursion thru the 

Lallemand Fjord. 

As Woody wrote in the Voyage Journal, "Again the Ocean Diamond penetrated down the fjord as far as possible until the sea ice prevented it from going further. As our zodiac  cruised into the fjord. We were almost immediately rewarded with the incredibly rare sighting (for the  Antarctic peninsula) of three emperor penguins!" 

We could not believe it when it happened! Right in front of our zodiac there were 3 Emperor penguins on an iceberg! Such an incredibly rare sighting!

Our naturalist,Wolfgang, said in his 10 years of Antarctic expeditions, these were only his 3rd, 4th, and 5th Emperor Penguins that he had ever seen. Quite exciting!  

You can see that they are nearly completed with their molting.

                   

Then 3 Adelie's appeared and put on a show.

We continued to zodiac around the icebergs and sheet ice,

 

This iceburg is taller than the Arc de Triomphe! Keep in mind that only 10% -20% of it is above the water line. The zodiac you see in the distance did not go thru it ,as it might appear. They went around, kept their distance and they are safely on the other side.

     There were numerous crabeater seals lounging on the sea-ice and icebergs.

 And then we had the excitement of a rare sighting of a Weddell seal this far south of the Antarctic Circle and so close to Adelaide Island! 

                                   

        We quickly cruised around the ice-sheet and came up on the other side of it.

       We were told by our naturalist that Weddell seals can dive to 2,000 feet down and stay under for up to 80 to 90 minutes. If, when they surface to breath and they find no natural openings in the ice pack, they will use their sharp teeth to chew the ice and open an airhole.

          As we were heading back towards the ship, we looked up at the island              


                                   and saw the Adelie penguins waving goodbye to us.

                                                     Then we headed back to the ship

                                             
                                                       and on to tomorrow.