It was a whale of a day! The total lack of wind created a flat sea surface illuminated by partly sunny skies with a touch of fog, perfect conditions for kayaking and Zodiac cruising. Kayakers paddled among icebergs and/or just sat and enjoyed the vistas. The occasional humpback surfaced, sometimes unexpectedly near a kayak, providing an exciting exclamation point. Zodiac cruisers ventured farther from National Geographic Explorer and encountered 20-25 humpbacks scattered over a wide area. Many were lunge feeding - rising slowly from the depths with hundreds of gallons of water and krill in their large mouths which then was filtered through their baleen to retain the krill. As the whole process can be a bit messy, dozens of fulmars darted about the feeding whales to snatch leftovers.
After getting out of the kayaks and Zodiacs, we prepared for the Polar Plunge. Nearly everyone chose to fully immerse themselves (albeit for a few seconds) into the truly frigid Antarctic waters for the thrill, the shock, and the coveted patch verifying the plunge.
After lunch, we cruised via ship the scenic Gerlache Strait, and during recap, orcas were spotted! Watching the pod of 8-10 individuals provided a fitting cap to this whale of a day!
