ANTARCTICA : EXPLORE THE EDGE OF THE WORLD 2022 ACTIVE & ADVENTURE | 6
CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
Even though only a handful of humans call Antarctica home , it is very hospitable to dozens of other species . The Southern Ocean is stocked with krill , making these waters an everlasting smorgasbord for humpback , minke , blue and orca whales , many of which will occasionally and quite suddenly emerge from the icy depths a dozen feet from your ship . Sunbathing elephant seals lounge on rocky outcrops as if posing for the many photos you ’ ll surely snap , while Antarctic fur seals , once thought extinct , slip in and out of the frigid water with ease , their barks echoing across the ice .
Birds are in dizzying abundance here . The skies are filled with the perpetual motion of albatrosses , sheathbills and shearwaters , while the land is teeming with their flightless cousins . Some say there are more than 12 million penguins that call the Antarctic Peninsula home , including Adélie , king , rockhopper and emperor . Gentoo penguins prefer rocky outcroppings , though you ’ ll be able to spot them easily from a distance thanks to their orange beaks and bright , peach-hued feet . Keep your eyes sharp for when they leap into water , for these creatures move more like torpedoes than birds , clocking speeds of 22 miles per hour underwater .
MOUNTAINS OF ICE
With 90 % of the world ’ s fresh water frozen within the Antarctic ice sheet , icebergs become an everyday sight on your voyage . These are not your common , everyday variety of icebergs , or at least not the ones you picture in your mind . Many are kilometers long , surpassing 100,000 tons . Imagine the most massive skyscrapers you ’ ve ever seen , but frozen and floating . Sailing next to these behemoths will give you goosebumps big enough to feel even through your heavy expedition jacket .
PHOTOS
TOP LEFT : LEOPARD SEAL TOP RIGHT : KAYAKING AMONGST ICEBERGS BOTTOM : CHINSTRAP PENGUIN