Hydrurga Rocks, Recess Point, Graham Passage – 21 March

Awoke at 6.30 way before alarm to a beautiful sunrise. We were anchored near Hydrurga Rocks which is our first landing site.

A very good nights sleep, we are all weary at days end.

Usual routine, breaky, back to cabin to put the shore gear on and await the call to Mudroom to don life vest and boots. We managed to all be in the same zodiac for a short ride to Hydrurga (latin for leopard seal) Rocks. There was a limit of 49 and then others had to do a zodiac cruise until people were ready to leave.

We were greeted by a young male Elephant Seal weighing approx 300kgs. Leo shared that a full grown male can weigh 3 tons. They are very relaxed unlike the fur seals that can be quite aggressive.

The island is home to several colonies of Chinstrap Penguins. Stephi shared that they are adults who are here to ‘catastrophically moult.’ They need their feathers to be perfect and waterproof for their life at sea, so they have to do a full change before they can swim and hunt again. Penguins actually live at sea, coming to land only to breed and moult.

Also when talking to Stephi, I asked about a different rock I had seen- which she explained was a metamorphic Gneiss (nice) rock.

Lots to look at including fur seals, sheathbills, cormorants, kelp gulls, rocks, lichens, limpet shells, skeletons, LOTS of poop, some snow. Lots of info from our magnificent E team guides.

Back for some downtime and lunch followed by an hour or so, time for coffee and whale watching, we saw several at a distance from the Lecture lounge – a most pleasant way to wile away an hour or so sailing to next destination.

Our second landing is at Recess Point- another continental landing. The Captain has us in a calm piece of water. This is a short landing, walk and then zodiac cruise. We are forgoing the option of photography zodiac – as they won’t have time to land.

Down to the mud room where it was heavily recommended that we take hiking poles if we were doing the walk to the viewpoint. A quick trip in a zodiac through icebergs and bergy bits and growlers, over a reef where you could see the different coloured rocks and kelp through the clearest of clear clear water. Landing on rocks that were free of penguin poo so quite stable and not at all slippery.

On arrival we ditch the life vest into large buckets based on rough sizing S M L XL, on the way back it’s pot luck from your chosen bucket.

I wandered around the point while waiting for Mary and Phil to arrive. The ice covering this mountain is grey coloured and is already ice and a glacier. There are a few crevasses too.

We then wangled our poles and climbed up the hill on pretty crunchy snow and ice. The views across the glacier, up the mountain, across the slopes and over the cracking up glacier with big chunks of ice with square tops of snow ready to carve called Ceracs.

The views were good and the trip down the hill was slow but steady in a light snow.

Then we had a short zodiac cruise with Vicki at the tiller and Julia providing advice – both these ladies have spent a season at Penguin Post Office at Port Lockroy. There were yet more stunning icebergs and views of the glacier and ice cracking off the mountain side. It fair dinkum looks like cracked sheet of meringue.

Back to ship and time for showers and up to our room for complimentary ‘pre’s’ (pre-dinner drinks). Then an announcement from Howard that we will be passing through the Graham Passage with some chance of whales. We will need to rug up again. No whales but a blizzard with steep mountains either side and some spectacular icebergs in the dim, sleety twilight.

We had a drink in the Blue Hope bar (deck 8 Observation lounge) while sailing through the passage. Then down to lecture lounge for recap and precap.

Leo talked about seals (pinnipeds) in Antarctica we have two families (Otariidae) fur seals. (Phocidae) eg Elephant Seal, Weddell seal, Leopard seal, crab eater.

Photo tip from Max. Working video into your photography.

Precap. Howard. We will see what actually happens. In short there are winds and some storms to work our way around.

Some of his words, not in order.

“Winds and landing at Mikkelson Harbour tomorrow. Currently trying to make the best of situation with winds and storms. Could be tricky in the Bransfield Strait. And beyond. Talking about following 3-5metre swells Antarctic Sound Thursday and

Brown bluff the day after. Sea day tomorrow arvo.

No Elephant Island. Head for South Orkney Islands to South Georgia. Whales and iceberg hunting.

Moving from Peninsula to South Georgia in most comfortable way possible.”

Then dinner at 8.00.

Followed by an early night again in bed by 10. Full on snowing horizontally past our balcony window.