The Antarctic Polar Circle

The 2nd of March we had an “unplanned” adventure to the South of the Antarctic Peninsula. We crossed the Antarctic Circle at position 66°33´S at 10:58 am. We then visited Marguerite Bay. It was like visiting another planet. The icebergs and the color of the water, dark green, were simply unbelievable. The dark green of the water is due to the high amounts of phytoplankton, which supports all the food webs around this white continent.

And the silence..!

We went for a short zodiac cruise and saw some Adelie penguins, the only Antarctic penguin species we had not seen yet during our trip.

On our way back north, one of our hope came true…we saw orcas!!! Antarctic orcas have particular morphologic characteristics, including their color, which is browner due to the diatoms growing on their skin, as well as the size of their eye patch. We were having dinner when a family of about 7 orcas appeared close to the boat.

I was able to get one (bad) photo with my cell phone…but the memory is clear in my mind and I made a drawing of that special moment!