This week, our field staff submitted photos that truly captured the incredible natural diversity of the places we explore, from pods of whales and penguins of all shapes and sizes in Antarctica to riveting close-ups of undersea life in Baja California and Belize.
For more dispatches from the field, check out our Daily Expedition Reports.
Have you recently traveled aboard one of our ships? Send us your favorite photo! We'd love to feature your favorite memory of your expedition.
Paradise Harbour, Antarctica
Journey to Antarctica:The White Continent, January 26, 2023
Our merry band of Zodiacs headed out to explore. Zodiac cruising in Paradise Harbour is always a delight. The bay is surrounded by high peaks and glaciers flowing down to the ocean’s surface, and the water is speckled with icebergs of every shape and size. —Jackie Weston, Naturalist
Lopez Mateos, Baja California, Mexico
Baja California:Among the Great Whales, January 27, 2023
Low tide revealed a live sand dollar with a couple of tiny crabs on its ventral side. —Adrian Cerda, Naturalist
Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos
Wild Galápagos Escape, January 30, 2023
The giant tortoise breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station is one of the most successful conservation programs in the Galápagos. We were able to see how Galápagos National Park rangers take care of giant tortoise babies that are released in the islands once they are older. Species were declining because of various factors, such as invasive species. —Felix Reyes, Video Chronicler
Barrientos Island, Antarctica
Journey to Antarctica:The White Continent, January 30, 2023
An adorable gentoo penguin chick at this afternoon’s landing at Barrientos Island. This island has colonies of both chinstraps and gentoos, but the gentoos stole my heart today. The chicks are big enough to start wandering on their own. They’re very curious about the great big world around them, so it was fun to watch them inspect our life jackets. —Kim Nesbitt, Naturalist/Expedition Diver
Lopez Mateos, Baja California, Mexico
Baja California:Among the Great Whales, January 30, 2023
Dancers in front of the Lopez Mateos sign as our guests waited to board pangas for whale watching. —Nathan Kelley, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Snake Caye, Belize
Wild Belize Escape:Wildlife, Reefs, and Rivers, January 31, 2023
Our first morning of the expedition found us at Snake Caye, where we went for a morning snorkel. Along with all the fish and both hard and soft corals, we found this beauty: a cushion sea star. These sea stars are common in the Caribbean but less common in this particular location, so it was a real treat when some of our guests spotted it! —Dana Filippini, Naturalist (photo by Rachel Crane)
Paulet Island, Antarctica
Journey to Antarctica:The White Continent, January 31, 2023
At lunchtime, many killer whales were sighted near the ship! We spotted at least 30 whales swimming in groups of four to five animals. These were type B2 killer whales, an Antarctic killer whale ecotype that is known to hunt penguins. —Berit Solstad, Naturalist
Land’s End, Baja California, Mexico
Baja California:Among the Great Whales, January 31, 2023
Sunrise from the Pacific. Baja California Sur. —Nathan Kelley, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Coiba National Park, Panama
Costa Rica andthe Panama Canal, February 2, 2023
During the walk, guests had the opportunity to observe white-throated capuchin monkeys. We took some time to observe their behavior. On the island, the species developed different skills because there are no natural predators. This allows the monkeys to spend more time on the ground. They can open coconuts and have developed tools to open shells and clams. —Joshua Hall, Naturalist
Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos
Galápagos AboardNational Geographic Endeavour II, February 2, 2023
We ended our day with the best experience in the islands. We visited giant tortoises in their natural environment at Rancho El Manzanillo, where we enjoyed a great lunch surrounded by these amazing creatures! —Charles Wittmer, Naturalist
Panama Canal, Panama
Costa Rica andthe Panama Canal, February 3, 2023
After dinner, everyone waited eagerly on the bow for our 8:00 p.m. appointment to enter the Panama Canal. Panamanian naturalists Joshua and Gabe talked about the canal as we waited and answered guests’ questions as the lights twinkled beautifully from shore and from the other ships. Finally, we entered the locks and began to cross, eventually anchoring at Barro Colorado Island in Lake Gatun. —Jen Guyton, National Geographic Photography Expert
At Sea between Antarctica and Macquarie Island, Australia
Epic Antarctica: From the Peninsula to the Ross Sea & Beyond, February 4, 2023
During breakfast, we spotted several whale blows in all directions around National Geographic Endurance. We sighted two southern right whales, one of the rarer cetaceans in the Southern Ocean, and numerous sei whales. We were also escorted by a large pod of long-finned pilot whales. The large males and pairs of mothers and calves were just off the bow. They had large, round, shiny heads, white blazes, and beautiful saddles. It was truly a treat to watch them effortlessly move through the water as a unit before disappearing together in one fluid dive. —Jessica Farrer, Naturalist (photo by Eric Guth)
Macquarie Island, Australia
Epic Antarctica: From the Peninsula to the Ross Sea & Beyond, February 5, 2023
The steep slopes of Macquarie Island are covered in a dense layer of peat, covered in large tussac grasses. The beaches are inhabited primarily by penguins with clusters of molting elephant seals. —Robert Edwards, Naturalist (photo by Tim Laman)
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