Daily Expedition Reports
15 Nov 2021

Snow Hill Island, Weddell Sea, 11/15/2021, National Geographic Endurance

Aboard the National Geographic Endurance
Antarctica

Our first full day in the Weddell Sea can be best described by sunshine, fast ice, and emperor penguins! We were surrounded by fast ice, indeed wedged into it, and the emperor penguins were our constant companions until darkness finally fell. From just after 06:00AM the emperor penguins were the stars of the show! We watched them from the ship, we watched them from the Zodiacs, we walked among them on the fast ice, and indeed the sun set on them a little after 10:30PM. An amazing day, to be remembered for many years to come.

Article by

Michael Nolan, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Michael Nolan was born in Bitburg, Germany to an Air Force family stationed there. His first experience of the ocean came at age 12, when he learned to snorkel in the Italian Mediterranean. At age 17 he moved to Tucson, Arizona and became a PADI SCUB...

Weddell Sea and Paulette Island

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The Drake Passage

Almost home. Land is in sight as we complete our crossing of the Drake Passage and draw within view of Cape Horn. As sunrise begins to illuminate the clouds, we see the blinking light of the Cabo de Hornos lighthouse. Expedition leader Lucho tells us about the poignant albatross sculpture dedicated to lost mariners and reads us the associated poem in Spanish and English. We are sailing in sheltered waters now, and the sea has reached the balmy temperature of more than 7° C. The seabirds we have learned to recognize in the open ocean–albatrosses, petrels, and prions–are now joined by others, such as imperial shags from Patagonia. Fur seals are once again frolicking near the ship. With formalities complete, there is time for a last series of presentations from our expedition staff, including: a lively account of the world-defining voyage of Ferdinand Magellan by naturalist Madalena Patacho, intriguing ‘Behind the Scenes’ insights into the life of an undersea specialist from Brett Garner, and more about the famous Endurance expedition under the leadership of Sir Ernest Shackleton. After making time for some excellent afternoon Swedish pancakes, we sailed the remaining stretch along the Beagle Channel and came at last to port in Ushuaia. We gathered in the lounge for farewell cocktails with our captain. We celebrated the wonders we experienced over the last ten days, the good friends we traveled with and with whom we shared our discovery of the Antarctic, and the glorious land of Antarctica–the seascapes, history, and wildlife. Where will we travel next? Photo caption: An avian harbinger of the coming day. Photo by Steve Backus

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Livingston and Deception Islands

Our morning began as we approached Hannah Point at the east end of Walker Bay on Livingston Island in the South Shetlands. We landed groups at Hannah Point, where we saw colonies of chinstrap and gentoo penguins, as well as several groups of elephant seals. At Walker Bay, we found a “wallow” of elephant seals in the process of molting their fur. We also found a site that had several plant fossils dating back to the time when the Antarctic was still connected to the Andes Mountains. Right beside the fossil specimens, we found the two flowering plant species endemic to Antarctica, Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. After leaving Hannah Point and Walker Bay, we made our way over to the spectacular Charity Glacier at the edge of False Bay. We cruised by the glacier and then made our way to Deception Island. Deception Island is an active volcano that most recently erupted in 1970. We made our landing by Baily Head, an eroded volcanic ash cone that forms the entrance to a large colony of chinstrap penguins. Tens of thousands of penguins spread out around a volcanic amphitheater. Our expedition day finished with a ship cruise into the entrance of the Deception Island caldera–Neptune’s Bellows–created by a cataclysmic eruption 4,000 years ago. We also saw the remains of the only Antarctic land-based whaling station in Whaler’s Bay.

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James Ross Island and Snow Hill Island

For nearly a week now, we explored the uninhabited expanse of the White Continent, including towering glaciers and abundant wildlife. There was virtually no sign of human life along the way, save for the scattered research station. Today, we continued our voyage into the Weddell Sea towards James Ross Island and Snow Hill Island to explore the human stories of the region and tales of early expeditions. Our morning began at James Ross, a relatively uncharted island. Ice crowds its shores, cutting off accessibility for much of the year. Hikes and Zodiac tours offered views of unique geology and of Snow Hill Island, our afternoon destination, across the way. There, we visited the historic hut from the 1902 Swedish expedition led by Otto Nordenskjöld. We learned about the team’s true saga of survival from historian Carol Knott. The afternoon’s polar plunge followed by a sunset cruise through a maze of tabular icebergs in Iceberg Alley topped off an amazing day. It was a perfect send off from the peninsula as we begin to make our way north toward the Shetland Islands and a final day of adventure.

Snow Hill Island, Weddell Sea, 11/15/2021, National Geographic Endurance

Michael Nolan, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Paradise Harbour and Portal Point

Weddell Sea and Paulette Island

Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent

The Drake Passage

Livingston and Deception Islands

James Ross Island and Snow Hill Island