Antarctic Day 1 - Dallmann Bay and the Gerlache Strait - Feb 29

We arrived in Antarctica on Leap Day 2024, which made an unusual day seem even weirder. All the previous day as we transited Drakes Passage, the temperature kept dropping and it was a balmy 30F when we arrived. As we approached, the icebergs we saw grew bigger and the amount of sea ice floating by increased too. Then the icy peaks of Antarctica's Anvers Island appeared and we spent a lot of time on the 12th deck, "rugged up" as the Aussies say, taking it all in. At different times we saw humpback and fin whales, seals and thousands of penguins. Most of the wild life we say through binoculars and iPhone photography could not capture wildlife at a distance. So most of these photos are of the stunning otherworldly scenery as we cruises silently along.

And as usual, a video is worth a thousand frames: