Day 40 – Sailing the South Atlantic Ocean

Viking Octantis had hoped to take us to Hope Bay today, but an unprecedented amount of sea ice in the area dashed those hopes. But enough about hopeful thinking and a bad play on words.

Sea Ice Still Surrounded Us This Morning - Although Beautiful, It Thwarted Our Plans for Today

The Expedition Team did a great job of scrambling to fill our unexpected sea day with lectures and other events. Little did they know that an unexpected occurrence awaited us later on.

In the afternoon, there were reports of whale sightings. I was able to see a few in the distance, and this was my first whale sighting of the cruise. I was excited to see them, but they were too far away for photos. While I was looking out the window, what mesmerized me was the sea and the beautiful patterns created by the ship and the wind.

The Patterns in the Glassy Blue Water Were Mesmerizing

I surprised myself by continuing to look out our window to try and spot more whales, and my unusual patience paid off. Suddenly, there were two whales directly under our window, where they remained for a while. I had never seen whales this close. The water was so glassy that I was able to see them clearly, even partially underwater. I was incredulous when one whale even spouted a rainbow! I found out later that the term for that is a “rainblow.” Wow!

All I Can Say Is WOW!

Our ship remained in position while the whales surrounded our ship for hours. Most of us were so excited that we were screaming when we spotted another whale. With our window open, not only could Tim and I see the whales, but we could even hear them.

No Other Whales Came Quite So Close, But It Was Still Amazing to Watch All the Others

After the whales departed, it was time for the Daily Briefing. The Captain attended to discuss the reasons for our missed destination today. He explained that more sea ice was encountered after midnight, forcing the ship to slow down. Other ships ahead of us reported even greater concentrations of sea ice, convincing the Captain that it would not be wise to proceed to Hope Bay, given that safety is his primary concern. He therefore made the decision to turn around and sail towards our next destination. Expedition Leader Olivia showed us a sonar image of the incredible amount of sea ice.

The Green Represents Areas of Sea Ice

Reversing Course

Both the Captain and Olivia couldn’t stop gushing about the whales and reported that they had never seen as many as we did today, especially in November, which is the beginning of the season. Olivia noted that the whales had come to us and surrounded us. Such density and concentration were very unusual.

Everyone on the ship was thrilled with this rare occurrence, including the Expedition Team and officers on the Bridge, who tried to keep track of the number of whales spotted. The Captain even joked that there were more whales than passengers.

Even the Officers on the Bridge Kept Count of the Whales

In the evening, I watched a very timely lecture by Specialist Chris entitled “An Introduction to Antarctica – the Origin, Highlights and Fascination of the Last Great Wilderness.” We learned that Antarctica is a frozen continent surrounded by sea and is the coldest, windiest, driest, and highest continent on Earth. Antarctica is truly one of the most perfectly preserved regions on the planet.

Introduction to Antarctica

I was very curious about all the sea ice we had seen in the last two days but was unsure about the difference between sea ice and icebergs. So, I watched two recorded lectures. I started with “Ice,” which was presented by General Naturalist Shane this afternoon, followed up by Specialist Chris’ lecture from a few days ago on “Ice, Ice, Baby Glaciers, Sea Ice and Icebergs.”

I learned, among other things, that sea ice is frozen ocean water that forms on the surface of the sea, while icebergs are large chunks of freshwater ice that have broken off from glaciers or ice shelves on land. The key differences are their origin (sea vs. land), composition (saltwater vs. freshwater), and size (flat sheets vs. massive irregular shapes). Now I know!

 Ice!

Ice, Ice, Baby Glaciers, Sea Ice and Icebergs

Today’s beautiful weather continued into the evening, and the views toward Antarctica were lovely.

I Can't Wait to Visit Antarctica Tomorrow

What a day! The beautiful sea ice, the gorgeous blue-sky day, and the whales more than made up for missing Hope Bay. This day may have been even better than the one originally planned.