2025_26 Oosterdam, Antarctica Day 4, Part 2 of 2...

The unpredictability of this journey is part of what makes it so special. We are truly at the mercy of the wind, the ice, the wildlife, and Mother Nature could care less about the size of the vessel…Today, we were again blessed by Mother Nature, the weather was picture perfect. Very early this morning the Captain moved us into Charlotte Bay. While in the bay, the humpback whales were our constant companions feeding on the krill with numerous sightings all morning.  Around noon, we arrived in Wilhelmina Bay. Wilhelmina Bay is a sheltered inlet on the Danco Coast famous for its stunning glacial scenery and abundant wildlife, especially the humpback whales. Named after Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and nicknamed “Whale-Mania Bay" due to the high concentration of humpback whales. Another point of interest was the shipwreck of the rusted hull remains of the Guvernøren, a Norwegian whale factory ship that caught fire and was intentionally run aground in 1915. This stop also offered us the opportunity to see whales and did we see whales!  The number of whales was amazing and the show they put on for us was absolutely spectacular from logging (resting) to bubble feeding…No words other than I have broken my absolute record for taking photographs…4000 plus and counting. Our next stop was Cuverville Island, a small, rocky island in the Antarctic Peninsula, famous for its massive Gentoo penguin colony, the largest on the Peninsula. The Captain maneuvered the ship as close as he could to the shoreline at the penguin colony…there were thousands of penguins. We also saw a number whales in Errera Channel, leading to Cuverville Island. Leaving Cuverville Island we crossed the Gerlache Strait and sailed into Dallmann Bay to spend the night. The stellar weather and scenery made for an absolutely incredible day to explore the Antarctic! That’s the good news…  the bad news is that I am totally exhausted and I have pain everywhere from standing around taking photos with some pretty heavy camera equipment.  Having a torn rotator cuff hasn’t helped.  That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing and am loving every minute of this Antarctic adventure.  The best yet!