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| Snow flurries, strong winds, scarce visibility - but the sea ice floating by Prinsendam when transiting Antarctic Sound into attempt to access the Weddell Sea is crowded with Adeli and Gentoo Penguins. |
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| Getting ready for the communal dive into the icy waters |
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| Approaching a giant tabular iceberg, a piece of solid ice that broke of a huge ice field in the Weddell Sea. This one measured about 6400 feet in length and 140 feet in height. Remember, the other 1000 feet of depth and volume are below sea level and out of sight. |
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| Looking up from Prinsendam's deck past the Dutch Flag to the top of the tabular iceberg raising way up high. |
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| Disappearing into the distance...we approached this behemoth within 200 feet. |
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| As proof that temperature rise on occasion above freezing point, here are a few giant icicles decorating a small part of the giant iceberg. These icicles are gigantic, more than 10 feet in length, and only form when there is enough warmth to melt some of the surface water of the berg. |
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| Sharp edges mark the sides of the iceberg, some of the overhanging cliffs 'calve' into the sea... |
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| Penguins, penguins, penguins... |
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| Loose sea ice crowding close together, forming vast expanses of impenetrable barriers. It was the first time for me, that the ship could actually pass part way into the Weddel Sea through Antarctic Sound. Hope Base, which is the only Antarctic 'village' with a school, a hospital and families with babies born on this continent, was out of reach. Between stacked sea ice and almost zero visibility, an approach was out of the question. |
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| A little snow on the Lido deck inspired one passenger to 'eternalize' himself at least for the duration of the snow cover |
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| Getting out of Antarctic Sound offered a glimpse of 'normal' Antarctic travel: ice, fog, blizzard, wind, white outs etc etc. Our departure took three hours longer than expected, as during our short time within the sound, sea ice had massed together in a formidable expanse, and it took us three extra hours to carefully navigate around the edges of it, to reach the open sea. Our hoped for glimpse of Elephant Island, one of the Shetlands, dissolved into nothingness - too late, nothing to see. |
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| Steaming swimming pool on Prinsendam. A few days from now, when cruising up the East Coast and Amazon we will be 'suffering' from tropical heat. Snowflakes will be a thing of the past. |
