16th Jan 2009
This is my last entry. We are in the Drake and the swells are massive which means I am down for the count. we should be at Usuaia port on Saturday night. Sunday morning I disembark and begin my long travel back to the States.
when I return I will put up more photos. Thanks for following the trip.
Darcie,
ReplyDeleteWe were just wondering if you would answer a few questions about your trip.
First, did you see any unexpected animals? if so, were they harmful in any way?
What types of whales did you see and which ones were you most exited about?
Did anyone get hurt?
Thanks for your time and hopefully the Drake Passage wasn't to rough.
Grace and Phoebe (NNS)
Darcie, we've really enjoyed reading about your adventure. We had a question about the Gentoo penguins. Are they the size of a stool in our classroom, or are they closer in size to a chicken? We are also really curious about who works at the gift shop at the fort? How would you describe the humpback whales you saw? What could we compare it to? We hope you are not too seasick. We're looking forward to your return!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Mailloux's Fourth Grade
Hi Grace and Phoebe-
ReplyDeleteI did not see any unexpected animals. However, the diver on the trip who works for Lindblad had an unexpected visitor. While she was diving a leopard seal was very interested in her and wouldn't leave her alone. It did not harm her or threaten her but these seals have some big teeth since they eat penguins and are quite intimidating.
I saw Humpback, Orcas, Minke and Fin. I got an amazing Humpback Whale show of them working together in their pods to circle the krill to the top and feed.
One person from our group got hurt. She was in the shower when the boat's stabilizers went down and she was thrown into the sink in her room. She got a big bump on her head, two black eyes and a hurt knee. She was a trooper though. Otherwise we were all safe.
Thanks for the questions
Darcie
Hi Tracy-
ReplyDeleteThe Gentoo Penguins are about 2 feet tall so they would come up to your knee. They are the third largest penguin next to the Emperor and King penguins. They weigh about 20 lbs or as much as 4 potato sacks.
The gift shop was located at Port Lockroy. The restoration of Port Lockroy and the staffing comes from a British non profit organization. There were two very nice English girls who not only work at the gift shop but also do everything else at the station including cleaning, upkeep of the museum, office work, ordering food everything that is needed to keep the place running and for them to live there.
On the last day before crossing the Drake Passage we came across several pods of humpback whales. Each whale is as long as a school bus and weighs as much as 3 school buses. Each pod (group of whales)was working together to get their food. They eat krill, shrimp like animals. I watched one whale spin under water in a tight circle and blow a continuous bubble of air out of its blow hole which makes all the krill gather together in one big group. Then the other whale would open its mouth and get underneath the group of krill and swallow them up. So they would emerge from the surface of the water with their mouth filled with krill. It gave great views of the humpbacks' baleen which looks like guitar strings between their lips.
Thanks for the questions.
Darcie
Hello there, I just finished writing my own blog about a January trip to Antarctica-- imagine my surprise to see someone who had a similar trip! (I remember being re-routed to Rio Grande all too well) Always good to read about others' adventures :) Wasn't it just the most breathtaking and overwhelming experience?
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Jane