Kayak Excursion Report ANTARCTIC EXPLORER
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Kayak Excursion Report ANTARCTIC EXPLORER Discovering the 7th Continent m/v Ocean Diamond th th 7 to 16 January, 2016 Paddle # 1 Location: Mikkelsen Harbour, D’Hainaut Island, Antarctica Kayak Guide: Ryan Munro, Scott Caspell Safety Zodiac Driver: Todd Weisbrot Date: 10th January 2016 Time: 930hrs – 1130hrs Paddlers: Kylie, Mark, Karen Todd, Sarah, Kyle, Justin, Jim, Karen Kocher, Fritz, Kazuo, Sarah, Beth, Kate, Peter, John, Diane Weather: sun and cloud, warm temperature, flat calm Species sighted from the kayaks: Elephant seal, Giant petrel, Gentoo penguin, Skua, Wilson’s storm petrel, Kelp gull Comment: We could not have asked for a better day to go for our very first ever sea kayak excursion in Antarctica. Our location was along the south end of Trinity Island in Mikkelsen Harbour near D’Hainaut Island. We loaded into the kayaks from the zodiac and went to explore this beautiful bay. Glacial cliffs surrounded Mikkelsen Harbour as well as towering mountain peaks. Our trajectory was directly towards Skottsberg Point. On the point we found three elephant seals amongst an array of gentoo penguins. Directly above the penguin colony lichen covered volcanic cliffs caught our eyes in awe. We continued this epic first paddle along the glacial cliffs, at a safe distance of course, toward a small island hosting a navigation aid. Here we saw our first gentoo penguin chick, which was fascinating for most. However, what fascinated us even more was witnessing our first glacier calving. The weather, the scenery, the adventure and the people on this day made for an unforgettable experience. We even had the opportunity to paddle through some brash ice before getting back into the zodiac. We ended the excursion with a landing on D’Hainaut Island watching more penguins, wandering through old whalebones and allowing the experience to take our breath away. Mikkelsen Harbour lies on the southern coast of Trinity Island at the northern end of the Palmer Archipelago. Nordenskjöld on his Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-4 discovered the site. The harbour was used by whalers for mooring factory ships and named for Norwegian whaler Captain Klarius Mikkelsen. On the island there is a gentoo penguin colony, a few unoccupied huts and a radio mast. Paddle # 2 Location: Foyn Harbour, Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctica Kayak Guide: Scott Caspell, Ryan Munro Safety Zodiac Driver: Todd Weisbrot Date: 10th January, 2016 Time: 1600hrs – 1715hrs Paddlers: Kylie, Mark, Karen Todd, Sarah, Kyle, Justin, Jim, Karen Kocher, Fritz, Kazuo, Sarah, Beth, Kate, Peter, John, Diane Weather: Overcast, moderate winds, winds increasing throughout excursion Species sighted from the kayaks: Gentoo penguin, Antarctic skua, Kelp gull, Antarctic cormorant, Antarctic tern Comment: We entered the kayaks in the shelter of a small rocky island near Foyn Harbour. We paddled downwind around the small islet where we saw a number of kelp gulls and had excellent views of the glaciers along Enterprise Island. We made our way across a narrow channel and over to a larger island where we stopped inside a very sheltered cove flanked by steep cliffs that rise about 10-15 meters out of the ocean. In this peaceful and protected oasis we observed several species of lichen growing on the rocks and saw nesting Kelp gulls. Graceful Antarctic terns were flying about the area, diving into the surface of the sea to feed in the nutrient-rich waters. We paddled further into the sheltered waters of Foyn Harbour, past several large icebergs, a triangular navigation aid on a high point, and towards the shipwreck of the Guvernoren. We paddled in a little closer for good views, but kept our distance from the steep ice cliffs that showed signs of recent calving. In the sheltered waters of Foyn Harbour the water was calm. On the shoreline we could see several old mooring posts used to anchor whaling vessels a century ago. From there we headed out towards open water, paddling past several large icebergs, and resting for a short while to observe another mooring post on a rocky spit of coastline. At this point the excursion was coming to an end. As the open waters of Wilhelmina Bay were very windy we decided to get out of the kayaks in a sheltered cove. After we disembarked the kayaks we had a choppy zodiac ride back to the Ocean Diamond, a reminder of how quickly the conditions can change in the Antarctic. Wilhelmina Bay lies between Reclus Peninsula and Cape Anna, along the west coast of Graham Land. It was discovered by de Gerlache during the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-99, and named for Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who was 18 years of age at the time and reigned until 1948. It is a large 24-kilometre (15-mile) wide, glaciated bay containing many islands and is a hotspot for whales. Kayak Excursion Report Paddle # 3 Location: Almirante Brown, Paradise Bay, Antarctica Kayak Guide: Scott Caspell, Ryan Munro Safety Zodiac Driver: Juani Volker Date: 11th January, 2016 Time: 1430hrs – 1700 hrs Paddlers: Kylie, Mark, Karen Todd, Sarah, Kyle, Justin, Jim, Karen Kocher, Fritz, Kazuo, Sarah, Beth, Kate, Peter, John, Diane Weather: Beautiful, sunny, calm Species sighted from the kayaks: Crabeater seal, Gentoo penguin, Antarctic cormorant, Antarctic petrel, Skua, Snowy sheathbill, Kelp gull Comment: The wind proved too strong to paddle in the morning at Neko Harbour, so in the afternoon we tried our luck in Paradise Bay. After the Ocean Diamond sailed past Waterboat Point the wind began to reside. As we approached Almirante Brown, the Argentine research station, the wind gradually decreased until the conditions were perfectly calm and ideal for paddling. The harbour was flat calm, filled with small icebergs, brash ice and sunshine, surrounded by glaciers and good vibes. Everywhere we looked the scenery was breathtaking. As we explored in Paradise we found a small iceberg and an ice floe surrounded in brash ice where several crabeater seals lay in peace, resting and digesting in the heat of the sun. We floated effortlessly in our kayaks and witnessed this spectacular scene for a while before proceeding deeper into Skontorp Cove. The conditions and weather were perfect, so we all agreed it would be best to stay on the water to take advantage of these idyllic conditions. High up in the mountains we saw several avalanches creating puffs of snow. The massive Skontorp glacier dwarfed our tiny kayaks and the zodiacs cruising in the bay. We continued along in a long wide loop paddling along towering cliffs that were home to hundreds of Antarctic cormorants. Many adult cormorants were caring for their black down coated chicks. These cliffs were encrusted with lichen and moss, and a band of turquoise, oxidized cooper was visible along the rock face. We got a good look at the Argentine research huts as we paddled past. We waited for the ship to reposition as we watched the zodiacs re- embark the passengers while on the move. We thought we had already experienced beautiful perfect conditions on our first paddle; well this one was going to be hard to top. Thanks for the good vibes folks and bringing this incredible weather. Paradise Harbour was named by whalers for its protected anchorage. Deep and glaciated, it is a favoured location for zodiac cruising, particularly around the glaciers of Skontorp Cove, which sometime calve. This region supports nesting Antarctic cormorants, Cape petrels and Antarctic terns on the nearby cliffs. It is also home to the infrequently occupied Argentinean station Almirante Brown that is located on the Antarctic mainland. From the landing, it may be possible to hike up to a high point for spectacular views of Paradise Harbour. Paddle # 4 Location: Pléneau Island, Antarctica Kayak Guide: Scott Caspell, Ryan Munro Safety Zodiac Driver: Todd Wiesbrot Date: 12th January, 2016 Time: 0930hrs – 1100hrs Paddlers: Kylie, Mark, Karen Todd, Sarah, Kyle, Justin, Jim, Karen Kocher, Fritz, Kazuo, Sarah, Beth, Kate, Peter, John, Diane Weather: Blue skies, mild temperature, 5˚ C, slight breeze 2-4kts Species sighted from the kayaks: Gentoo penguin, Antarctic skua, Kelp gull, Wilson’s storm petrel, Weddell seal, Antarctic cormorant, Antarctic tern, Crabeater seal, Elephant seal Comment: After an amazing early morning passage through the Lemaire Channel we pulled into our excursion location in Pléneau Bay. Towing the kayaks behind, we drove in the zodiac towards Pléneau Island before loading into the kayaks as a slight breeze urged us northwards. The beautiful mountains of Booth Island were to our east, while numerous towering icebergs flanked our position to the north and west. We paddled southwards, arriving at a small rocky islet where we found curious gentoo penguins poking about the shore, and a surprising discovery of a dead and decaying Weddell seal lodged underneath the shore ice just above the waterline. We continued to weave our way through the rocky islets towards Pléneau Island. For one stretch of the paddle we were able to push, crunch and paddle our way through thin and transparent newly formed sea ice. The ice crunched and crackled as we propelled our kayaks forward and southward. The paddling conditions were perfectly calm in the shelter of the islands. We paddled and wove our way through the narrow channels around the islands, along the smooth rocky shorelines and abundant birdlife. At our furthest point south in the kayaks (and on the voyage!) we saw several kelp gulls and their young chicks very close to the water’s edge. Later in the paddle we were fortunate to see a young elephant seal camouflaged along the tan colored boulders about 5 meters up from the water. We hugged our way along Pléneau Island, finishing our paddle at a large pan of sea ice with a crabeater seal.