Deception Island
It is often said that if you stay on one place long enough, it becomes a part of you, and you a part of it. Now, I have always assumed that “long enough” meant years, perhaps even decades would come to pass before such a transformation could take place. However, after seeing events unfold today, I can only deduce that such a metamorphosis can occur much more rapidly in a place such as Antarctica. And why not; it is after all a land of superlatives and extremes, and apparently one capable of creating a delusional state amongst its visitors. How else can I explain what transpired over the course of the last 24 hours here on the National Geographic Endeavour? Why else would more than a hundred, seemingly rational people suddenly think themselves to be penguins? That’s right, I said penguins! Okay, let me explain.
We woke with ship approaching Deception Island off the South Shetland group. A subtle, yet powerful swell lapped at the ship’s hull then continued onward to crash upon the beach of Bailey Head. Now, for a penguin, such as the chinstrap variety that breeds at the site by the thousands, a thunderous surf presents little in the way of deterrent. With their densely-packed feathers providing the first layer of protection and their springy, compressible ribcages further aiding with impact dynamics, the penguins are undaunted and even seem to revel in the breakers. Humans do not have these valuable physical defenses against the elements. In fact, we are quite fragile in comparison to the hearty penguins. And yet, there we were loading into inflatable boats and launching ourselves up the beaches apparently oblivious to the idea that perhaps we, as a species, are not meant to do such things.
But wait, the madness didn’t stop there. While some were still draining their boots of seawater, others took off for the colony, almost as if they too had a young chick awaiting a breakfast of krill. Up, up, and still further up they went alongside the oddly detached chinstraps. (As if the penguins are getting used to these strange visitors with an identity crisis!) For a while I thought they might simply walk right over the ridge and fall back into the sea, but thankfully they did stop upon reaching the top - if only to observe other members of our party engaging in more penguin-like behavior. Far below, in the waters beneath the colony, two more of our Zodiacs full of penguin wannabes were engaging a leopard seal into pursuit; perhaps for the thrill of being chased by something that wants to eat them?! Who can say?
Still further bizarre and puzzling behavior ensued after lunch, which thankfully, was not one of krill! People seemed positively entranced by the idea of swimming…outside…in the ocean…in ANTARCTICA! So out and in they went. Did they have a counter-current circulatory system designed specifically to aid in surviving frigid waters? No. Did they have that wonderful multi-layered coat of feathers the penguins posses that acts as a natural dry suit? Again no! In fact, it might seem the only thing that these people had in common with the penguins they were so bent on emulating was brain size; as in small and bird-like! Some of them even took things so far as to start gathering krill that washed up on the shoreline. Now I am unsure as to whether they actually ate it, but I did see it being passed around the lounge during recap on a serving tray!
So, in conclusion, I still whole-heartedly recommend an Antarctic expedition to anyone whom might read this. However, it seems a word of caution must now be included: Please, at the first sign of any of the above described behavior, seek out medical attention before you act upon one of these insane urges. Or at the very least, look into a mirror to remind yourself exactly which species you actually are before you meet your end staring into the cold, dark eyes of a skua that’s more than willing to play along with your new identity!
It is often said that if you stay on one place long enough, it becomes a part of you, and you a part of it. Now, I have always assumed that “long enough” meant years, perhaps even decades would come to pass before such a transformation could take place. However, after seeing events unfold today, I can only deduce that such a metamorphosis can occur much more rapidly in a place such as Antarctica. And why not; it is after all a land of superlatives and extremes, and apparently one capable of creating a delusional state amongst its visitors. How else can I explain what transpired over the course of the last 24 hours here on the National Geographic Endeavour? Why else would more than a hundred, seemingly rational people suddenly think themselves to be penguins? That’s right, I said penguins! Okay, let me explain.
We woke with ship approaching Deception Island off the South Shetland group. A subtle, yet powerful swell lapped at the ship’s hull then continued onward to crash upon the beach of Bailey Head. Now, for a penguin, such as the chinstrap variety that breeds at the site by the thousands, a thunderous surf presents little in the way of deterrent. With their densely-packed feathers providing the first layer of protection and their springy, compressible ribcages further aiding with impact dynamics, the penguins are undaunted and even seem to revel in the breakers. Humans do not have these valuable physical defenses against the elements. In fact, we are quite fragile in comparison to the hearty penguins. And yet, there we were loading into inflatable boats and launching ourselves up the beaches apparently oblivious to the idea that perhaps we, as a species, are not meant to do such things.
But wait, the madness didn’t stop there. While some were still draining their boots of seawater, others took off for the colony, almost as if they too had a young chick awaiting a breakfast of krill. Up, up, and still further up they went alongside the oddly detached chinstraps. (As if the penguins are getting used to these strange visitors with an identity crisis!) For a while I thought they might simply walk right over the ridge and fall back into the sea, but thankfully they did stop upon reaching the top - if only to observe other members of our party engaging in more penguin-like behavior. Far below, in the waters beneath the colony, two more of our Zodiacs full of penguin wannabes were engaging a leopard seal into pursuit; perhaps for the thrill of being chased by something that wants to eat them?! Who can say?
Still further bizarre and puzzling behavior ensued after lunch, which thankfully, was not one of krill! People seemed positively entranced by the idea of swimming…outside…in the ocean…in ANTARCTICA! So out and in they went. Did they have a counter-current circulatory system designed specifically to aid in surviving frigid waters? No. Did they have that wonderful multi-layered coat of feathers the penguins posses that acts as a natural dry suit? Again no! In fact, it might seem the only thing that these people had in common with the penguins they were so bent on emulating was brain size; as in small and bird-like! Some of them even took things so far as to start gathering krill that washed up on the shoreline. Now I am unsure as to whether they actually ate it, but I did see it being passed around the lounge during recap on a serving tray!
So, in conclusion, I still whole-heartedly recommend an Antarctic expedition to anyone whom might read this. However, it seems a word of caution must now be included: Please, at the first sign of any of the above described behavior, seek out medical attention before you act upon one of these insane urges. Or at the very least, look into a mirror to remind yourself exactly which species you actually are before you meet your end staring into the cold, dark eyes of a skua that’s more than willing to play along with your new identity!
