January 21, 2025

 January 21, 2025


January 21


We had such a busy day yesterday, we are trying to catch up.  


The weather turned very cold yesterday with snow flurries.  It was -10 degrees Celsius , approximately 14 degrees F.  Our heated gloves and vests came in handy!


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The Americans onboard could barely speak about what was happening back in the states and ironically, we saw our first ship in several days, the US Coast Guard ice breaker, the Polar Star.   Jody had to call her dad about the irony.


Meanwhile, we saw more than a dozen Emperor Penguins (remember, the penguin Super Bowl winners?) and dozens of orcas.  Our two penguin experts onboard said they spotted well over a 100 orcas on this single day, and based on markings on its dorsal fin, actually recognized one in particular from a trip 7 years ago!  We would try and sit for a meal and each time we sat down, another announcement was made for more orca sightings, and everyone would leave the dining room to catch the latest pod.  It was a thrilling day.  We mostly have fabulous videos of the orcas as it was hard for us to grab a single great shot.


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Two Emperor Penguins walking in blizzard conditions


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Can’t we find a place to hide?


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Weddell Seal 



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This Emperor has a tracking device on its back and one of the guides managed to “track” down the researcher who placed the tag on this Emperor penguin.  His name is Juju and his device was attached by tape and falls off within a year when Juju will  molt.  Juju was found to have traveled about 18,000 miles total during the monitoring period.



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They tend to walk in sequence



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Type C Orcas, which live on fish.  Notice at the front the head of one whale has come up to take a look.


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Emperor penguins in the background with a male orca on the left.  The males tend to have a bulbous head and larger fin.



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