Saturday, January 18, 2025
After our SOB ride this morning, we did a variety of things onboard. My sister and I worked out, and we did laundry. After lunch, my sister and I spent some time at the spa in the pool and hot tub.
My sister went to the bow to watch for wildlife, and saw 3 humpback whales, while my mom and I headed to the Aula for a talk on marine mammals. Since we were early, we went out on the deck and ended up watching as the submersible and its dive support vessel came back. While on the deck, I told my mom to stand over there and I would take her picture. I then said you want to smile? Well you can see the result! We are having a good time while enjoying all that surrounds us.
Kata who gave the lecture on marine mammals was the guide that my sister and I had on the SOB yesterday when we saw the crabeater seal jump on the same ice as a leopard seal. When that happened, Kata said “That’s not a good idea crabeater.” Haha.
Later in the evening we attending the daily briefing to see what the plan is for tomorrow. The bay we are going to is known for having whales, which could mean we will see some from on kayak trip! Then we are scheduled to go ashore tomorrow on an island known for having seals.
There were 3 short presentations after the briefing. Jens spoke of how the tubercles on the pectoral fin of the humpback whale has been studied. Jens has been a fighter pilot in Canada and always gets a little joke in about fighter pilots. There were definitely parts of his presentation today that I learned in college!
Then Alex (from Bosnia) spoke of the food that was typical of Antarctica expeditions of the past. While the subject could have been a challenging one to present on, he did a great job of keeping it entertaining!
And finally Kata spoke Sea Lions and Seals, in part because we likely will see some tomorrow.
Before heading to bed, we attended one more talk by Jessica titled Seal the deal: a whale of a time to feed. In the presentation she showed a picture of 6 seals that had been given some names. Funny how 3 of them have the name of some brothers!
