9: Whale Soup for breakfast and lunch

Literally over the balcony - spy hopping to check us out

 LOCATION:  Antarctic Peninsular

That's a welcome to a new day that you don't hear too often. At 6.45 am @Marieka announced "Good morning everyone. It is overcast and raining here in Wilhelmina Bay and we are surrounded by Whale Soup." That certainly got everyone moving and outdoors. In the quiet, you could hear the whales singing and could hear the escape of air as they surfaced and spouted. And yes, there were prolific and regular black logs across the bay.

I want to pre-empt the photos for today. Grey skies and rain combine to make every image a wash out. But don't let the dimness of the photography trick you - this day was incredible.

This was a shot captured today by @Christine one of the Expedition team members

The Adventure

Ticked off attendance at a few - make that one - activities:

A. The early early announcement confirmed that it was all systems go for the morning excursion despite the persistence of rain. Mind you, there really wasn't any need to leave your balcony. Wilhelmina Bay was dotted with the black log like silhouettes of dozens of whales. And they were interested in the ship and Zodiacs as they made their way in numbers to the side of the ship. It all happened in slow motion. Heads raised above the water. Fins slapped on the water surface. Tails raised and lowered into the depths. All accompanied by the blowing of expelled air and the gentle music of their song. Seriously, seriously other worldly.

That's the railing of the balcony - the whales were just there!

In numbers - a constant stream of visitors to check us out

We were called on time at 9.15 for our turn out on the water. Our first wet drive. Everything was just grey.

Going with the flow... Literally. .. no control over the weather

 Glasses had to be abandoned early because there there was no way you could see through the water accumulated on the lens. Water poured off your gear. Water sloshed in the bottom of the Zodiac. Gloves were wet. Inners were wet. At some stage after kneeling, sitting and twisting it felt like the water had seeped into the waterproof pants.  But it all didn't matter. It was 80 minutes spent with @Todd cruising the bay to meet up with these giants.

Cruising with @Todd

They were everywhere. The estimate from the bridge was that there were in excess of 100 whales  within the viewing perimeter of the viewing reach of the Zodiacs.

Kayakers really close to the action

The whales were definitely lazy!!! Giant black logs in the water - maybe slowly raising their fin or rolling gently. You didn't quite know which way to look as you seemed to be surrounded by the sound of that air escaping the blowhole - coming from every direction across the water. We threw in some seals and penguins, took in some blue ice and were on our last 100 metres of our ride when a group of three and then another group of two put on a performance for us. It was spell binding to see them up so close, lifting slowly in a hump and then raising that tail majestically in the air.

I was committed to trying ... but not much luck

All grey .... 

By this return stage of the journey, the 8 passengers in our Zodiac had put cameras away and were holding on to the pontoon ropes for the ride home. It  meant, to a man and a woman, we all got to "watch" and be in the moment rather than taking in the show through  the lenses of a phone. What a finale.

I did welcome the pop of blue from the ice cave

Back on board - it was mission critical to dry the gear! Turned out we did have wet bottoms - but nothing that the hair dryer couldn't sort out. @Mac toweled down the moisture on the big red jacktes and we blasted the thermals, gloves and pants with the hair-dryer.  No way we wouldn't be ready for the next opportunity if it were offered.

Laundry duty - ready for the next one

As it turned out, that was the only chance to get outside. As predicted, the wind picked up to 40 knots and the rain continued to fall. I have no idea how  everyone else spent the afternoon because after seafood chowder for lunch, I tucked myself up under the blankets in the cabin and slept for 4 hours. That was my holiday catchup and the weather was just perfect for it.

Had to refuel at lunch - before afternoon hibernation
Surfaced just in time to take in the Mega Recap where the Exhibition Team members give their lectures (seals, whale and historical huts featured today) and then @Marieka followed with the details of tomorrow's plan (big day coming up) with assurances that the weather should improve.

Just as an aside here - today's "lesson" included a presentation on the humpbacks, designed to answer the question "Can a humpback swallow a human." It was a clever session - audience members were used to map out the dimensions of these mighty creatures- and it culminated with the visual demo of the size of the whale's throat - with an appropriate prop. 😅🤣😂 (see "Can you believe this, below)

The evening dinner routine has been focussed on joining @Nana at The Restaurant. Well into the cruise now, our table has been reserved for us and our fav drinks are always available. @Daniel has created a special pistachio milkshake for me and @Lloyd's banana based BBC and @Mac's grasshopper make regular appearances.  We have really taken a shine to the diminutive @Nana from India. 

Ever playful - holding the microphone to give @Lloyd the floor

Her generous smile welcomes us each evening and her playful interactions add to the competitive banter of @Richard and @Mac as they try and eat their way around the 7th Continent. The ladies in our group are treated to cushions sourced from some secret stash to add to our comfort on the oversized chairs and our dishes are tweaked by her in conversations with the chef to match dietary requirements or taste preferences. We are her favs and each day we get a little more detail about her family and her life which is shaped by her cultural obligations. 

Crossword solved two daysvin a row means we can all reat easy in prep for the challenges that tomorrow promises to throw our way. In preparation for the hike - we have ticked the boxes on the room service menu. Hope those rations give us the strength we need!

Survival Barometer

Steps 3274

Weather 3 degrees and wet. An afternoon blowout

Health all clear .... some stiffness in knee joints for some - mobic on hand

Can you believe this?

🐋 An Amazing March Whale Fact from Co-Pilot

March is the moment when the Antarctic Peninsula becomes the whale capital of Earth — because it’s the only time of year when dozens, sometimes hundreds, of humpbacks gather to feed in the same bays, creating “whale soup.”

Why this is extraordinary

• By March, the krill bloom is at its absolute peak — a dense, shimmering cloud of life that whales can detect from kilometres away.
• Humpbacks, minkes, and even the occasional fin whale converge in the same fjords, sometimes so many that you can see blows in every direction.
• Some ships have reported 20–40 humpbacks feeding together in a single bay, bubble‑netting, tail‑slapping, and diving in synchronized chaos.
• Because the whales are preparing to migrate north, they enter a hyper‑feeding frenzy, eating up to 1.5 tonnes of krill per day.
• Here’s the incredible fact about their throat .... despite being one of the largest animals on Earth, a humpback whale’s throat is only about the size of a grapefruit or a human fist—meaning it physically cannot swallow anything larger than a beach ball. This is why humpbacks feed exclusively on tiny prey like krill and small fish, despite their massive size.  

... nothing that a serviette won't fix