Antarctica, the Final Part: Prata Passage, Whales, & Your Q&A

Dear Friends and Family,

You can probably tell that we haven’t been writing this email series from a remote Antarctic base, so yes - our cruise ship did turn around and bring us home. Well, not home exactly, but Ushuaia started to feel like one after all the days we spent there.

This week, we’re wrapping up our adventures in Antarctica and answering your questions about the white continent.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series! Next, we’re off to Patagonia.

Perry’s Travel Diary

Prata Passage

The entire ship needed a nap after our glorious morning (and wedding festivities) in Paradise Bay. The captain announced that our next location would be a scenic cruise through Prata Passage, four hours away.

We all tuckered out for the journey and awoke to stunning views of this narrow strait between the Antarctic islands.

Pete’s Travel Diary

Whale-Ho!

As soon as we came in from the deck to warm up, the crew came over the intercom with an announcement - they had seen humpback whales from the bridge!

The entire ship rushed outside to see the whales breach in the distance. We all stayed outside until our fingers and toes were ready to fall off.

The whales hung around for 30+ minutes before we went our separate ways.

Once the ship was back to cruising speed and we made our way from the Antarctic Peninsula, we all settled down to dinner. Due to my upbringing and experience hunting in the mountains of Wyoming, it became fairly apparent that I was one of the more apt at spotting wildlife in the Antarctic.

I very much interrupted dinner service by casually mentioning seeing whales outside the window while trying to eat a dinner roll. “Ah, whales.”

It's a good thing you couldn’t tip the ship over by cramming to one side, as almost everyone clung to the walls and windows of the dining room like flies.

Everyone swiftly either crammed down food or abandoned their meals entirely as they grabbed coats and moved to the bow of the ship to watch in excitement.

Our ship had a lot of vacationing experts of all fields aboard. Engineers, a geologist who worked for NASA, the penguin biologist we mentioned, and many more. Naturally, I regularly consulted the biologist when spotting wildlife. She noted that these were Minke whales and that there were two of them, likely mating, given the behavior. It was a rare privilege to see any whales at all, let alone two.

Our fingers were very cold after holding cameras and attempting to get video footage of these magnificent mammals, but they were gone before we captured them. It's difficult not to be fond of the gentle giants.

Perry’s Travel Diary

Making our way home: The Drake’s Revenge

Day 7 of our Antarctic Cruise brought one week on the water - and one more failed excursion. Our ship tried to land at two sites, but the verdict was the same: 40-50 knot winds would not allow us to launch the zodiacs. Not only could a small boat be blown away, but the lack of visibility from blowing snow meant that they might never be spotted for a rescue.

After lunch, the news did not improve. We were all gathered for a briefing: it was time to re-enter the Drake.

And we had no time to spare because the weather forecast was not good.

What does “not good” mean in the Drake?

It means that there were three storms that we’d have to pass through. We’d get to find out what a not-calm Drake Passage looked like after all.

I already belabored the misery of the Drake on our outbound journey, so I’ll try to be brief. On the return trip, I vomited four times. I became acquainted with the ship’s doctor, who arrived in my room holding a bag full of apples and a package of Zofran tablets. You know what they say about doctors and an apple a day - though in my case, it was several apples a day because I couldn’t eat or drink anything else.

At this point, the mental challenge was just as bad as the nausea. We’d been on this ship for 10 days with only an hour or so on land. I was ready to get off the boat, and the only way to do that was to make it through the Drake.

We did, and once we reached the Beagle Channel, we were greeted with calm waters, a stunning sunset, and a boisterous happy hour. Everyone had become good friends during our 10 days together and was sad to see the end of the journey, even given its ups and downs.

Antarctica Q&A

What was the temperature in Antarctica? How did you dress to stay warm?

During our visit, the announced daytime temperatures were said to be around 30-34F, but we think it was colder at times. The wind chill was the real kicker and could make it feel 10-20 degrees colder, if not more.

When we were going on excursions, I wore a t-shirt, fleece sweatshirt, and insulated parka on top, and long johns and insulated snow pants on the bottom. I added a hat, scarf or buff, insulated gloves, and sunglasses for more warmth and protection. The ship provided waterproof rain boots that I wore with my Smartwool socks for our excursions.

If we were just hanging out on the ship, I’d swap the snow pants for my jeans and the parka for my puffy jacket if I even needed one.

The wind, the temps, and the outfit were the exact same as our winters in Wyoming, so nothing new for us!

How tall is a penguin?

Gentoo penguins range from 28-35 inches tall, with an average height of around 30 inches. Chinstrap penguins are a bit smaller at 27-30 inches, and they weigh a bit less, too. There are several other penguin species that range in size.

How can you tell a male penguin from a female penguin (from a safe distance…)?

Unless you’re a trained penguin biologist (and even if you are), it’s difficult to tell male and female penguins apart. Males tend to be slightly larger than females, and they also perform a specific part of their courtship ritual. If you want to know whether a penguin is male or female, we suggest asking a zookeeper or penguin biologist for more information since there isn’t a clear answer here.

Do penguins mate for life?

While we all learned this romantic story about monogamous penguins in school, more recent research and anecdotal evidence suggest that penguins are not monogamous 100% of the time. Partner fidelity varies by species. A quick search suggests that the Gentoo penguins we saw will reunite with their same partner around 80-90% of the time. Both the male and female partners work together to raise their chicks from that year.

The penguin biologist on our trip told us that the Gentoo penguins are very devoted to their nests. They will come back after their winter migration and find the exact same nest year after year.

What do the penguins eat?

Penguins eat krill, shrimp, fish, squid, and/or other cephalopods, obtained as they swim through the water.

What do the Antarctic research stations look like?

Our cruise didn’t get to visit any of the operating research stations, but we did show one of Argentina’s seasonal stations in our last newsletter.

For a view of life at the United States’ Palmer Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, I highly recommend checking out my friend @marissagoerke on Instagram. She’s worked in Antarctica as part of the Antarctic Research Program for the last 7+ years and shares an impressive collection of photos and paintings.

Can you see the effects of global warming?

We asked Marissa since her work tracks climate, air quality, seismic, and other data collected in Antarctica. The short answer is that yes, you can see the impacts of climate change.

Over the last 6 years, several new islands have appeared from underneath the glacier. About 200 feet of glacier has been lost in the last 50 years, and judging from the moss exposed underneath, they can tell that it took the glacier 400 years to advance over that same distance. The rock was last exposed before the last mini ice age about 1,000 years ago.

Is there any army base or any military presence?

Yes. Chile has a Chilean Air Force Base, called Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, in the Shetland Islands. Fly-and-cruise tours of Antarctica fly into this base.

When we departed Paradise Bay, we passed by a Chilean military ship that was running some sort of exercise involving a helicopter. Our crew told us that there was a Chilean military base near the entrance to the bay. The closest base I can find on the map is Base Yelcho, listed as a Chilean research (not military) station.

Per the Antarctic Treaty, all military craft must have their guns and weapons removed before sailing into Antarctica. We weren’t close enough to get a good view and verify whether this was true. The ship was imposing on its own, armed or not.

The United States does not have a military base in Antarctica (nor, interestingly, any territorial claims in Antarctica despite our research stations located there), but I think it’s worth noting that the US military does support Antarctic research operations with flights and other services.

Itinerary

Cruise, Hotel, Food, and Transportation

We booked our Antarctic Cruise through Freestyle Adventure Travel and sailed with Antarpply Expeditions on the MV Ushuaia.

Currency

Our cruise ship used US Dollars as the official currency.

Ushuaia, Argentina uses the Argentine Peso. Here's how to get cash in Argentina.

Travel Tip of the Week

The Only Four Layers You Need for Any Weather

We had to pack our suitcases with clothing that would work whether we were sweating in Vietnam or freezing in Antarctica. How do you do that, you ask?

No matter what the temperature, the absolute maximum number of layers you need to wear is four. Most days you only need two or three. In order, they are:

Base layer - A fancy way of saying your t-shirt or blouse. Wear what you normally wear! If it’s really cold - below 0F - you may want to wear a dedicated thermal top (long john top) made of merino wool or a synthetic blend.
Fleece sweatshirt or sweater - I like sweaters when I’m at home or in an office, but when we’re adventuring outside, it has to be a fleece sweatshirt like this one (men’s version) that keeps you warm without the bulk.
Puffy jacket - For the coldest temperatures. My puffy is by Colombia and Pete’s is by Eddie Bauer. The North Face also makes good ones. Buy a packable one if that’s important to you.
Waterproof shell (lightweight raincoat) - I talked about my North Face uninsulated rain jacket(men's version) in a prior newsletter. If we need more temperature or water protection, this goes easily over my puffy.

Technically, you can get a parka that combines #3 and 4 into one garment, but I prefer lighter layers that I can mix and match. They’re also easier to pack. We pack 10-14 days of shirts (#1), but only one sweatshirt, one puffy, and one raincoat each.

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All our love,

Pete and Perry

Perry