Guests were invited to enjoy a diverse range of presentations throughout the day. Lisa began by sharing her personal journey and experiences in developing the art of visual storytelling. After a short disembarkation briefing, Ezra gave us a comparative glimpse into Scott and Amundsen’s South Pole expeditions and the factors that may have influenced their very different outcomes. After lunch and perhaps a bit of a catnap, afternoon presentations included an overview of the seals of the Southern Ocean by Shell. Mike finished off by sharing the history of Antarctic diving along with a bit of show-and-tell of the gear he and Jason use to capture the stunning underwater images and footage they have shared with us this trip. Recap continued with lively offerings from the team, including geomorphology, krill, and even a wool-spinning demonstration before we headed to dinner.
12/3/2024
Read
National Geographic Resolution
Lemaire Channel and Pleneau Island
The soft rolling of our ship genteelly woke us up to serene morning. Through bouts of low fog, we charged on, and luck was on our side, as we had made enough speed across the Drake Passage to arrive earlier than anticipated to Antarctica. We spotted our first icebergs, looming mountains in the distance, and scattered blows of opportunistic humpbacks that the energy on the ship began to manifest. After lunch, our bridge team expertly navigated us through one of the most stunning passages on the Antarctic Peninsula, the Lemaire Channel. Towering mountains, volcanic in origin, now smothered with thick blue glaciers cascading straight into the sea all around us. Awesome isn’t strong enough a word to describe the drama of the scene. National Geographic Resolution settled among massive icebergs near Pleneau Island for our first landing. Boots and parkas donned, our fleet of Zodiacs brought us all to shore. The gentoo penguins charmed us all with their antics, posing coyly for the cameras before continuing on their industrious journeys. The clouds parted, allowing the sun to illuminate the vast landscape. With rosy cheeks and bright smiles, we claimed the expedition a success and returned to prepare for the next day.
