Day 6 : Paulet Island, Danger Islands
Paulet island is one of a chain of volcanic islands lying off the north-eastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. The day before, the EC had provided a brief of the island and gave us some historical tidbits about a 1901 Swedish expedition that had wintered in Paulet Island.
The Swedish expedition led by Otto Nordenskjold set sail on the ship named Antarctic on October 1901 from Goteburg (Sweden) to explore the Antarctic Peninsula region and only returned in 1904, stopping by twice on Paulet Island. The thought of a three-year expedition was somewhat mind-boggling, but at the same time seemed plausible given the sheer vastness of the Antarctic region, climate and no communication whatsoever with the outside world.
Paulet Island
As the day was clear, the circular island was clearly visible from the ship. Before the zodiac arrived, a pungent smell wafted onboard beckoning our arrival; the less than inviting smell of penguin excretion. Nonetheless, landing onto the island was unproblematic given the light gradient at which the beach rose from the shoreline, which small chunks of seemingly stranded miniature icebergs. The landscape was generally brownish, with rocky hills and much of the ground covered with pinkish penguin poo.
The EC team had already marked the walking path leading to the hut the explorers had built and taken refuge during their stay. The Swedish expedition team first landed on Paulet Island before the 1902 winter, and then continued with their expedition. The hut was built during the second landing on February 1903 after their ship was crushed and sunk by the ice.
The men built a double-walled stone hut and survived mainly on penguins and the birds' eggs. The remains of the hut stood as a reminder of their stay more than 100 years ago. Passing the hut, the path led uphill to the small crater lake. Along the way, circular nests of made of small pebbles and rocks marked the multitude of penguin nests. A further short climb from the lake to a high point, revealed the view of the bay against the littering of small icebergs. The contrast between the brown rocks on the ground and the stark blue and white of the littering of ice against the sea made for a spectacular contrast; it looked as if the icebergs were to the sea what the rocks were to the land.
I walked back to the beach to look at the penguins. There were also Wendell seals and several other species of birds along the shore. Some of the penguins were still molting their baby feathers. They really looked as if they had a bad 'haircut' 😁. All of them would undergo this 'catastrophic molt' where all the feathers are replaced at once, and some old feathers did not fall off till the new one has completely replaced it. 
<<I did take a photo of an adelie penguin, and a molting one!>>
I scrubbed my pair of boots on the pebbles before boarding for the zodiac cruising. Each zodiac can take 10 people excluding the EC. We were given the option of either cruising amongst the icebergs or to view the elephant seals further along the shore. As expected, there was no unanimous decision. To please the divided crowd, Sanna (the EC) cruised first towards the iceberg. Closeup, the reflection of the water's surface gave the icebergs an almost holographic quality, painting it with different shades of blue throughout.
I walked back to the beach to look at the penguins. There were also Wendell seals and several other species of birds along the shore. Some of the penguins were still molting their baby feathers. They really looked as if they had a bad 'haircut' 😁. All of them would undergo this 'catastrophic molt' where all the feathers are replaced at once, and some old feathers did not fall off till the new one has completely replaced it. <<I did take a photo of an adelie penguin, and a molting one!>>I scrubbed my pair of boots on the pebbles before boarding for the zodiac cruising. Each zodiac can take 10 people excluding the EC. We were given the option of either cruising amongst the icebergs or to view the elephant seals further along the shore. As expected, there was no unanimous decision. To please the divided crowd, Sanna (the EC) cruised first towards the iceberg. Closeup, the reflection of the water's surface gave the icebergs an almost holographic quality, painting it with different shades of blue throughout.
Then, we went to check out the seals resting on the beach. It was not really easy to spot them as they blended quite well into the surroundings. << I took many photos resolving to relook at the pictures to see if there were seals or rocks>>
Afterwards, we returned to the ship to sail to Danger Islands (Heroina Island) 54km away. Icebergs
After a nice lunch, I went to view the icebergs floating in the sea as we passed them. There are so many gigantic tabular icebergs and smaller ones of all shapes and size floating in the sea.
The ship's crew had to take turn to be on lookout on the bridge. The icebergs were similar to small floating islands, and one of them even appeared to be inhabited by penguins.
Danger Island
~3pm, we arrived near Danger islands. it was discovered in 1842, and was so named because it was nestled amongst so many icebergs that the island was not sighted until the ship was nearly at its shore.
We embarked on the zodiac, heading across several small icebergs, and a small cove to view the few penguins that perched on the cliff. Before our land excursion, other zodiac's EC radioed that a seal has just caught a penguin near the shore. The zodiac sped toward the site, guided by circling birds (skuas and petrels?) ready to scavenge on the penguin’s remnants. With the penguin gripped by the seal's powerful jaws, the penguin was thrashed violently about a few times to tear it up before the seal ate it . <<A true reality show of nature>>
As we neared the shore following the shocking exhibition of predator versus prey, the familiar, pungent scent of penguin guano permeated the air on land. The penguins were scattered throughout the beach and the rocky slopes. <<Were they marking their territory or just free-and-easy lazing, standing, and playing?>>
I walked along the marked trail, trying not to get onto the 'penguin highway' (little trails made out by them moving up and down from their colonies to the water.
Along the beach, others were waiting to see if the leopard seals at the shallow water would prey upon the penguins by the edge. By then however, both my pair of fingers and feet’s were almost frozen from the biting cold wind and temperature, and I was not that keen to watch such a spectacle again. I scrubbed my boots on the pebbles, and queued to board the zodiac to get back to the ship.
At about 5pm, 37 passengers took part in the polar plunge.
This marked the last day of excursions in Antarctica as the ship would then sail for about three days to South Georgia. I resolved to spend those next few days reading about Shackleton's expedition of Antarctica.
More about Anarctica
Even though I only spent a few days in Antarctica, it did make even more evident the need to protect the environment and its natural beauty; its unique landscapes and thriving wildlife.
Presently however, different countries cooperate while also seemingly compete to 'stake' a claim on the continent. Although the IAATO and the Antarctic Treaty set up guidelines to manage the eco-system and environment, no organization has any mandate or power.
Past Expeditions
I was also amazed by the various past expeditions to explore the continents, especially seeing how many of these past expedition teams did so without modern technology or high-tech gear and devices. They endured long periods without knowing what lay ahead and when they would return.
Thus, while the trip was marketed as such, I deferred using the the term 'expedition' - 'a journey undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, research, or war.' for the trip.
<<It was, still, a cruise in quite an extreme, cold climate but instead of stepping off the gangway onto land, the excursion was via zodiac landing between which there is no comparison...>>
As quoted in Nordenskjold's diary:
"We were now sailing a sea across which none had hitherto voyaged. The weather had changed as if by magic; it seemed as though the Antarctic world repented of the inhospitable way in which it had received us the previous day, or, maybe, it merely wished to entice us deeper into its interior in order the more surely to annihilate us. At all events, we pressed onward, seized by that almost feverish eagerness which can only be felt by an explorer who stands upon the threshold of the great unknown".
Nordenskjold's diary.
Along the beach, others were waiting to see if the leopard seals at the shallow water would prey upon the penguins by the edge. By then however, both my pair of fingers and feet’s were almost frozen from the biting cold wind and temperature, and I was not that keen to watch such a spectacle again. I scrubbed my boots on the pebbles, and queued to board the zodiac to get back to the ship.
At about 5pm, 37 passengers took part in the polar plunge.
This marked the last day of excursions in Antarctica as the ship would then sail for about three days to South Georgia. I resolved to spend those next few days reading about Shackleton's expedition of Antarctica.
More about Anarctica
Even though I only spent a few days in Antarctica, it did make even more evident the need to protect the environment and its natural beauty; its unique landscapes and thriving wildlife.
Presently however, different countries cooperate while also seemingly compete to 'stake' a claim on the continent. Although the IAATO and the Antarctic Treaty set up guidelines to manage the eco-system and environment, no organization has any mandate or power. Past Expeditions
I was also amazed by the various past expeditions to explore the continents, especially seeing how many of these past expedition teams did so without modern technology or high-tech gear and devices. They endured long periods without knowing what lay ahead and when they would return.
Thus, while the trip was marketed as such, I deferred using the the term 'expedition' - 'a journey undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, research, or war.' for the trip. <<It was, still, a cruise in quite an extreme, cold climate but instead of stepping off the gangway onto land, the excursion was via zodiac landing between which there is no comparison...>>
As quoted in Nordenskjold's diary:
"We were now sailing a sea across which none had hitherto voyaged. The weather had changed as if by magic; it seemed as though the Antarctic world repented of the inhospitable way in which it had received us the previous day, or, maybe, it merely wished to entice us deeper into its interior in order the more surely to annihilate us. At all events, we pressed onward, seized by that almost feverish eagerness which can only be felt by an explorer who stands upon the threshold of the great unknown".
Nordenskjold's diary.