Paradise Bay Zodiac Cruise (AM)

Paul was sleeping after a long night's duty on the Bridge, so I headed out on an early morning zodiac cruise in Paradise Bay, near Brown's Base, an Argentinian summer research base.

There were a few penguins around and about, but not as many as we had expected. I think bird flu has hit the colony, sadly.

During our cruise, a callout to some zodiacs was received. One of the zodiacs had broken down so we went to see if we could take on a few of the guests. After that, the stricken zodiac was towed back to the ship.

We weren't needed because there had been enough zodiacs to transfer guests to, so we were able to get back underway and have a quick visit to see the blue-eyed shags (cormorant) rookery. A few chicks were seen but I didn't see them. We also saw a small petrel colony, and then went on to see a small glacier face. On the way back we saw a crabeater seal who had just climbed onto a piece of sea ice. It took him a while to get comfortable and settle down but it was well worth watching him.

This afternoon I think we might be going for a short walk near Brown's base. We shall see!Read more