Deception Island, the first expedition of my Antarctica cruise, lived up to its name in every way. From afar it looked like a solid chunk of barren rock, but when we circled around to the back side its high cliffs fell away to the sea. A narrow channel led through the break in the cliffs. … Read more
Wilhelmina Bay in Antarctica was a serene study in blue and white, with barely a ripple on the water. We were motoring slowly around the bay, soaking in the stunning scenery, when the captain of our Zodiac suddenly cut the motor. He pointed to the starboard. “Over there! A pod of Humpback whales!” I didn’t … Read more
I woke at 5 a.m., drew the drapes to my cabin balcony, and gasped. Overnight, we had sailed up the west side of the Weddell peninsula to Paradise Harbour, Antarctica. Named by ancient whalers for its protected anchorage, the cove could not have had a more appropriate moniker. The sea was a vast sheet of … Read more
On a jaw-droppingly beautiful morning, I climbed into a tiny inflatable zodiac boat at Paradise Bay in Antarctica. Wide swaths of sea ice stippled a dead calm ultramarine sea. On the horizon, mountains huddled beneath a blanket of unsullied snow, showing only their jagged black peaks. From every direction, crevassed glaciers marched from the mountaintops … Read more
The giant, ice-covered landmass at the bottom of our earth may be the remotest, coldest, driest environment on earth, but it’s paradise to the penguins of Antarctica. I was fortunate to have an up-close and personal experience with three of the four Antarctic species during my recent expedition cruise. I was quite surprised by how … Read more
