The Magellanics of Magdalena Island

We were last in Punta Arenas in 2014. On that visit, we did a private tour to Seno Otway to see the Magellanic penguins, and then spent some time in the city.

We went to see Magellanic penguins again today. But this time we went to Magdalena Island … in the Strait of Magellan … an approximately 1.5-hour boat ride each way.

This tour often gets canceled at the last minute due to high winds and rough seas. Sometimes, even after getting to the island, conditions don’t allow disembarking the boat. Or the return to Punta Arenas is delayed. So, we decided not to chance it on our own and booked the ship’s tour today.

Insignia was docked at Muelle Mardones on the outskirts of Punta Arenas … about a 15-minute bus ride to Muelle Arturo Prat, which is in the city center. Our catamaran was waiting for us at this pier …. right behind Marina, our big sister. A short walk from the bus brought us to the gangway where we were each handed a blue bag and invited to take a seat in one of the two cabins. The booth style seat-table combination was a little tight, but we sat with our friends Norm and Pat and lucked out with the middle seats remaining empty.

Smooth crossing to the island … with a detour to follow some Sei whales (the third largest of the whales) … I counted five puffs and glimpses of the back … two distinct individuals. The motion in the Strait became a little more pronounced the further out we got, but the catamaran handled it well. Nor were the conditions a hindrance to disembarking directly onto the island via a long pier.

No sooner were we on land that it started raining. Actually, it felt more like sleet. The wind also grew stronger, But we persisted and followed the trail that went up to the lighthouse and then looped around back to the shoreline … cutting between the rookeries for the penguins and birds. We were more than halfway around when the rain stopped, the wind diminished, and the sun peeked through the clouds. Hallelujah!

During our walk, we saw small groups of Magellanic penguins … only the ones that are still molting remain on the island at this this time of year; lots of kelp gulls; some Chilean skuas (aka Cinnamon skuas) … fighting over the remains of penguin chicks and gulls; and several pairs of upland goose.

All too soon, it was time to get back on the catamaran for the return trip. On the way to Magdalena Island, we were allowed to go out on deck as long as we wore the life vests we were provided. On the return, we were told to stay inside the cabin. It didn’t take long for the windows to be awash with salt water. Yup … smart to stay inside and munch on the tasty treats that were in the blue bags we’d been given at embarkation.

We were welcomed back to Punta Arenas with a pod of dolphins showing us their agility as they raced the catamaran back to shore.Read more