We set sail from Ushuaia, the southernmost town in Argentina, on the Sea Diamond cruise ship, and officially entered the Antarctic region through the Drake Channel.
Today, it's another sunny day outside — clear skies and sunshine. The cruise deck was already crowded with tourists, the camera shutter was clicking, and we were now crossing the South Shetland Islands and Onville Islands, crossing the narrow Lemaire Channel.
It is said that a week earlier, a larger cruise ship had collided with an iceberg while passing through this waterway, and the cruise ship was forced to stop for 5 hours. Compared with the Drake Strait, the surface of the Lima waterway is too calm, the blue sky and white clouds, the waves are as flat as a mirror, the majestic snow mountains are close at hand, the snow peaks are reflected in the sea, and the water surface is covered with large and small ice floes, which dot this water like a paradise on earth.
Just as we were reveling in the beauty, the cruise ship radio rang out – the Antarctic Peninsula was ahead, and we were going to land here! Is this really the Antarctic Peninsula? I squeezed myself hard, and the pain in my heart showed that it was true! Did you know that Antarctica was the last continent humans arrived, so it was called the "Seventh Continent"? Antarctica is located at the southernmost tip of the Earth, with a total area of about 14 million square kilometers, and is surrounded by the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, making it the continent with the most longitude in the world.
Beienlian Island is part of the Antarctic Peninsula, and a trip to the island requires landings in stormtroopers. Since it was the first time, many people seemed to be in a hurry, and coupled with the cold wind blowing on the sea, it was very uncomfortable! On the surface of the water floated countless large crystal clear ice cubes, shining in the sunlight. Seeing a few cute penguins and some seals standing on the iceberg, the submarine slowly leaned over, and the helmsman grasped the nearest shooting distance for us: the lazy seals ignored us, and the little penguins were very cooperative, posing various Pose to tease us.
As the clouds thin, sunlight pours down on the island and penguins seize the time to sunbathe.
There are many Papua Gentoo penguins on the island, and their well-behaved appearance and clumsy posture of walking on the snow are very cute. Papua penguins feed on a species of shrimp endemic to Antarctica, so whenever we approach them, we can smell a strong shrimpy smell.
The little penguin that whistles, the little penguins who put on the whistle, the little penguins who put the whistles, the little penguins who put the whistles, the little penguins who put the whistles, the little penguins who put
Located at 64 degrees south latitude, just a few nautical miles apart, Petermann Island is said to have been discovered in 1909 by the French navigator Jean-Baittes. The waters of Petervin Island are covered with ice floes, so it is known as the "Ice Floes Square". The peaks of the island are majestic, and occasionally a white cloud floats between the mountainsides of the snowy peaks, a wonderland like the Tibetan plateau!
The next morning, we landed at Paradise Bay, which, as the name suggests, is even more beautiful. From the stormtrooper, it feels like Paradise Bay Island is very holy under the snow cover. There is a small hill on the island, but because of the thick snow, the hike is quite laborious, and a hill that does not look high at all and is not far away takes more than ten minutes to climb.
At the top of the hill, there are many Adelie penguins, which differ from Papua penguins in that they have no pattern around their eyes, are slightly fat and shorter, but look very "quiet".
Neko Harbour, on the eastern shore of Paradise Bay, only 1 km from the Errera Channel, was first discovered by belgian Antarctic expedition member Nigao, who made four expeditions to South Shetland and the Antarctic Peninsula in 1911, 1912, 1923 and 1924, and the island has since been named after him.
In addition to the cap-band penguins, there are also a number of Weddell seals. Since there are no large predators on the Antarctic Peninsula, these animals can enjoy a heavenly life here without worry!
hello~weddell seal, eat?
Before we knew it, our cruise ship had reached its fifth day, and it was already Damoy Point ahead. Located at the southernmost tip of the Strait of Ere, The island has a total area of only 1.6 square kilometers, and has a 180-meter-high hillside with thick snow and a lot of slopes, making it more laborious to climb to the top than climbing the slopes of Paradise Bay. Several of my companions gave up the idea of reaching the summit and only took photos at the foot of the mountain.
From time to time, some small penguins on the hillside sway down, leaving a string of footprints on the snow, like painting on the snow. Seeing the stupid penguins walking in a turning posture, it feels so cute, and some of them simply lie flat and slide down from the top of the slope, which is very cute, I really want to hug them! But then, someone will always remind me to follow the rules - stay away from animals to protect the environment! (Tips: The Antarctic Treaty requires: Tourists are strictly forbidden to have direct contact with any animal on the island, it is strictly forbidden to dispose of garbage on the island and pick up stones, and tourists should have absolute environmental awareness!) It is said that there are often small snapper whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and megaptera novaeangliae in this area, but we have not encountered them.
The captain of the cruise ship specially arranged a one-night camping session on the island so that everyone could truly experience the polar life! To be honest, camping in the polar region is really uncomfortable, during the day we are still hot enough to strip naked, but at night the temperature plummeted by more than twenty degrees is a bit unbearable! Fortunately, the wind was not strong, but my hands were also frozen, so I hurriedly put on a few sweaters and slipped into my sleeping bag.
Tips: Seventh Continent Antarctica every year in December there is no concept of night, the sun does not go down until 23 o'clock every day, and it will slowly rise after 1 o'clock, and the sky is always too bright to sleep, so be sure to have eye masks and ear (penguins and seals chirping one after another will also affect sleep).
Thinking that tomorrow will start the return journey, the mood is a little low, I really want to stay here for a few more days, completely empty myself, don't think about anything, and be with nature and the animals on the island every day! In the "evening" on the Antarctic Peninsula, the sky shows a strange orange-red background, and several penguins gather together to meet their heads and ears, which is so beautiful! Several companions came to the camp, and everyone was amazed, sighing at the beauty of nature while constantly photographing the beautiful scene of this "paradise on earth" until they were exhausted!