Snow. Snow on the balcony. Snow on deck. Snow all around. Well, we are in Antarctica.
Luckily a bit of snow wasn’t going to stop us landing on Cuverville Island, and we were the first group off the ship at 7am. Well, not quite the first as the expedition team were one step ahead of us. An advance party had been dispatched to carve a steep staircase into the snow and ice to get us up and away from the landing site.
Which brings us back to penguins. Because quite honestly that’s a lot of what Antarctica is all about. It wasn’t just the orange jacketed flock of people that were grateful of these steps – the gentoos were loving them too. They hopped and waddled their way up and down the steps with indecisive comedy timing. And if you can watch penguins in their natural habitat without imagining a Benny Hill soundtrack in the background, then kudos to you.
Of all the landings we did in Antarctica, Cuverville Island came out on top for me. Oodles of penguins surrounded by fresh-fallen pristine snow and a backdrop of icebergs, this was quintessential Antarctica bucket list.
And just when you think there can be no more penguins, here’s Daniel the pro photographer…
Right on cue, as if to complete the classic landscape, it started to snow. Perfection, actually.
Not quite perfection, because for any of the punters yet to make it out, the change in the weather didn’t just bring snow but also increased sea swells, canceling any further landings. All that remained was to get us safely back to the ship. Which with a wing and a prayer, we did.
Who’d have thought while repositioning from our morning anchorage at Cuverville to our afternoon location of Paradise Bay that the sun would come out and we’d be treated to some sunny weather. Out on deck we go…
As we sailed towards Paradise Bay, the scenery only got better, and the icebergs more impressive.
The burst of sun brought out an excited snow day vibe among passengers and crew alike, with lots of photo opportunities and the urge to build a snowman.
But lo and behold, the polar weather genie was up to his tricks again. For right when it was time for our afternoon zodiac ride, back came the ocean swells. And these were not insubstantial swells. In fact, only about 40% of passengers elected for the afternoon ride. I question the intellect of the 40%. That would include us then, the FOMO Fear of Missing Out greater than the Fear of Putting Yourself in Grave Danger.
Here’s how it goes when the going gets tough. The first trick is getting your timing right to step onto the zodiac when it’s about level with the ship deck, whilst ship and boat are careering up and down with opposite trajectories. The second is transferring weight from feet to seat voluntarily vs the movement of the boat doing it for you (way more exuberantly). Thirdly comes the shuffle. The art of sliding on your backside around the rim of the zodiac to your allotted spot (I would say seat but this seems a rather grand word for the place to perch your buttocks). And all this with a pillar box view of the world, head encased in beanie, buff and Seabourn hood of orange.
Initial cruising round the iceberg garden was impressive, even with the threatening grey clouds and chilly temperatures. But the afternoon finished as the day started – with snow. Difference being we were out on a small boat in a blizzard vs being cozy in bed watching snowflakes drift effortlessly onto the balcony. Paradise Bay became far from my idea of Paradise. And stepping back off the rodeo rafts to the ship, well let’s just say we needed a stiff hot toddy after that.
To round off our almost perfect (best and worst, highlights and near death experiences) day, our post-dinner entertainment came in the form of Steve the Adélie penguin and his quest for the happy ever after. DisneyNature totally outdid themselves with this coming of age penguin movie, innovatively titled Penguins. In my exhausted state, I don’t think I made it quite to the end. But I’m pretty sure I dreamed about penguins.
