Antarctic Peninsula: National Geographic Lindblad Expedition
In 2019 I joined the Lindblad Explorer ship’s staff – including naturalists, historians, and undersea specialists– giving daily presentations in between kayaking, hiking on islands, exploring icebergs by zodiac, and polar plunges! We saw killer whales, blue whales, leopard seals, penguins, and other bird species. The experience was unforgettable. (Click here to find out more about Lindblad expeditions.)
Approaching the spectacularly photogenic Lemaire Channel, ahead and to the left. 6:30am.
Type B killer whales. This group of four adults and one baby are working the leads between ice flows looking for seals. Their goal is to “wave wash” the seals off the ice. The dirty brown color on their white spots is caused by diatoms (algae) which washes off when they swim north to warmer waters.
Adelie penguins on Paulet Island.
We had a very special visit with a rare blue whale, who moved alongside us for 30 minutes. These whales, the largest animal ever to have existed, were hunted nearly to extinction before they became protected in 1966. IUCN estimates they went from about 250,000 to 10-25,000.
Hiking to the top of Half Moon island. Great views at the top awaited.
Gentle sunset at Paradise Bay. (Sun sets after 11pm in late November/early December.)
Polar fashion with Stella Bohnert and Andrea Boehner.
