To the Antarctic we go

It's summer again so it's time to try and get a job. Earlier year at the end of summer I was lucky enough to get into some work sea kayaking off of a cruise ship. This summer I got the call back but at the beginning of the season so this means more ice, different wildlife, and more ice!

The season starts off at the Headquarters in Punta Arenas, Chile where we all meet up and go through some formalities and then we headed a little further south into Argentina to meet the Ocean Nova.

 A Pretty excited me on our way to our home for the next two months. Cheers Pablo for the picture.

This was a nervous time for me because I was about to cross the infamous Drake Passage for my first time and I have history of sea sickness. Perfect person to be working on a ship. All in all I only had to call Ralph on the big white telephone a couple of times and he always made me feel way better about the situation! Once we were down at the Antarctic Peninsular, the Drake was behind me and it was all Ice Ice Baby! The first two trips of the season were from Ushuaia back to Ushuaia spending a good four days in Antarctic waters taking people sea kayaking ideally twice a day.

 This is at Cuverville Island which is in the Gerlache Strait. This is as nice as it gets and it gets like this more than you'd think!

As you can imagine, more minds were blown as Antarctica turned it on for two more very satisfied teams of kayakers. Many photos, many penguinos, and lots of playing ice breaker in the kayaks.

 This looks very photo shopped but it's not. Honest. Ice was blue, skies were grey. This was actually an iceberg that I saw here at Portal Point in February. 

 That's the little beauty of a ship we call home at Port Lockroy (Brittains 'Base A') and a very cool ice cliff.

Just around the corner from Cuverville is this place called Orne Harbor.

It was a very good start to the season, some very nice weather and some very cool storms and some really cool encounters. Leopard Crabeater and Weddell Seals, Orca Humpback and Minke Whale, and heaps of birrrds. The team on board has been tops to.

Back row: Mike Pablo Sergio Mariano Corine Me Nigel

Front Row: Ruslan Nico Ana Loli Chica Andres
Photo stolen from Nicolas Danyau, cheers bud

 Warming up the zodiacs at Pleneau Bay.

 Chinstrap Penguin at Halfmoon Island, South Shetlands.

 Bands of sediment in ice from folding at the base of a glacier at Deception Island, South Shetlands.

Stelictites of ice. Again at deception. Did a very cool mission between Telefon Bay and Neptunes Bellows. It is the caldera of a volcano and we saw a lot that I had never seen myself.