We awoke to the sound of expedition leader Russ calling us to seize the day. We had moved south overnight, passing 69 degrees! As we enjoyed breakfast, National Geographic Endurance navigated into Lazarev Bay, which was filled with icebergs. The amount of ice slowed our progress, and we spent some time ship cruising farther into the bay. Seals and whales were everywhere, and we briefly saw an emperor penguin!
Once in position, Russ informed us that this would be a perfect location for kayaking. We excitedly attended the safety briefing before heading to the kayaks or Zodiacs. As we left the ship, we enjoyed two particularly curious minke whales swimming around us, as well as lots of crabeater seals! It was magical. What a great morning!
After a delicious lunch whilst the ship repositioned, we prepared ourselves for a Zodiac cruise. We loaded into our Zodiacs and enjoyed weaving amongst the ice once more. Soon we had to return to the ship for one more activity of the day. The polar plunge! We quickly changed into our bathing clothes and lined up to take the plunge. So much whooping and laughter could be heard as we leapt into the freezing water. We dried off and headed to the Ice Lounge for a cocktail and finished the day with recaps from the naturalists on the day’s observations.
