Day 9 of 13: Close Encounter near Enterprise Island (Monday, January 31)

Last night we passed through the Wilhelmina Channel on the way to today’s destination, Enterprise Island, on the northern edge of Wilhelmina Bay. The area was well known to whalers operating in the area in the early 1900s, and we were briefed by Viking to expect to see artifacts and shipwrecks during today’s zodiac tours of the area.

The weather is 35F, sleet and light rain, winds 7-9 knots – fine for a 1.5-hour zodiac boat tour. Our zodiac driver was Aaron, who we have met several times on this trip. He’s knowledgeable and anxious to ensure that we have a fun trip and see everything possible. This is Aaron showing us some Antarctica Kelp, or Bull Kelp.

Leaving the Octantis, we started at Foyn Harbor on the south side of the 1.5-mile-long island. The first thing we spot is a gathering of Antarctic Cormorants, also known as blue-eyed shag. 

Then Aaron spotted Chinstrap penguins on a distant rock – our third species of penguin seen since arriving in Antarctica. The Chinstrap is appropriately named, with a black and white body and a distinctive black stripe under its chin that makes it look like it's wearing a black helmut.

Next, we spot more Chinstrap penguins swimming in front of our zodiac.

In an earlier blog post, I wrote about the scientists on board who study Antarctic fish and other sea life on the ocean floor. We saw them releasing three of their baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) and they invited us to tether alongside their zodiac so we could observe and ask questions. The BRUVs are basically a metal tube with fish bait inside and a GoPro camera attached that records whatever curious sea life comes along, attracted to the bait. Later today during the daily briefing they showed images of three types of cod ice fish that were caught on video, including a “Striped Rockwood.”

When anyone on our zodiac spots wildlife, they shout out the type a location so the driver can change course while we work to identify it. This time it was Keith with “whale 10 o-clock.” It turned out to be playful young (~2-year-old) humpback whale who seemed very interested in us. He hung around for a while, getting closer. Then he turned directly toward us and swam under our zodiac. Everyone on board seemed to find this to be one of the highlights of the trip. It was hard to capture the moment on film or video but looking down at a 20-25 foot humpback who rolled over to show us his white fins and belly was indeed exciting. You can faintly see his white fins in the 2nd photo below, and Keith’s video on Facebook shows him swimming under our boat.

We stopped to get a close look at icebergs, as well as glaciers that had recently calved. Then we viewed an abandoned water boat (front and back are visible in the snow behind the zodiac, 3rd photo below). This area was frequented by water boats that served in whale processing once the whaling vessels came into the bay with their catch.

The most distinctive site at this location is the wreck of the Guvernøren (The Governor), a whaling ship that was deliberately run aground to save its crew and whale oil, after catching fire in 1915 during a celebration of a successful whaling voyage. There were several other ships in the area at the time that rescued the crew, but the ship was a loss after a lantern accident quickly overtook the vessel with fire.

We got a close look at some Kelp Gulls at one rocky shoreline, as well as Antarctic Terns and a few Skuas who did not pose for my camera.

One of our zodiac passengers from Florida spotted an Antarctic fur seal that blended in with the rocky background, so we took a closer look at our third seal species of this expedition.

Upon return to the Octantis, we saw that all 17 zodiac boats and the two special operations boats were gathering to make a promotional video. Since this is the maiden voyage of Octantis, we saw various promo videos being made almost every day to replace the artist sketches that had previously been used by Viking. 

After lunch (roast lamb w/mint sauce, saffron rice, Norwegian open-faced sandwich) there was more whale watching from the bow of the ship as we began a trip further north through de Gerlache Channel, eventually making our way to South Shetland Islands overnight. This afternoon will be our last glimpse of icebergs.

Tonight, we stopped in the Explorer's Lounge for a cocktail before dinner (Chateaubriand, Chilean Sea Bass).

Tomorrow will be our last day of excursions off the Octantis before we make the dreaded trip back across the Drake Passage. But our current destination is President Head on Snow Island, the site of tomorrow's planned landing excursion. 

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