Christina’s Journey Journal

Tag: Quark

  • Reels from Social Media about our Antarctica adventures 🇦🇶

    Here are the social media stories about our adventures. You need an Instagram account to see those on that platform but you should be able to see the Facebook ones without having Facebook. 🤷‍♀️

    When we first got to Antarctica, it was indeed a Beautiful Day (U2): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm2T_h2ptJPrjXbpe-5oKmnYq0WuvDZIvAkL_Y0/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc=

    Expedition has begun and as Louis Armstrong says What a Wonderful World: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm63bnjvqINLV83f0wyR8QHL9guNzFIreRCwZ00/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc=

    Penguins and snow in Palaver Point, Two Hummock Island. Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin) was the theme of this day! https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnC0kFYNzrCEK4o_Q0bFsXoaimM_fZUG9Or8Ig0/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc= OR on Facebook without music: https://www.facebook.com/reel/5671650036287982?mibextid=wa05Vy&fs=e&s=9RfQYY

    Baby Chinstrap Penguins at the rookery on Two Hummock Island. Isn’t She Lovely? (Stevie Wonder) https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnN32yMLb5sJERzS97KAjXpWFyTsQKGmgIWj_M0/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc=

    Dreams (The Cranberries) for sure on Danco Island, Antarctica during our camping experience—sleeping (on the snow/ice) with a colony of Gentoo penguins while the Humpback whales sang in the bay: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnYKJinuQZyNoUZZNEVcbvkOocYIrigGCjusGo0/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc= OR this one from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reel/3724972331062866?mibextid=wa05Vy&fs=e&s=9RfQYY

    SUPing in the Southern Ocean (Stand Up Paddleboarding) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reel/691724379123605?mibextid=wa05Vy&fs=e&s=9RfQYY OR this one from Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnAIepHKuUXvKy8aRaFfL5qgEgXMm0HmRQssQs0/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc=

    Porpoising penguins of Antarctic! on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cn0ewOBDj6mFQpzNa5Su3uKbFPaOSqHCHtoN9s0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

  • One of my favorite memories – The Humpback Whales in Graham Passage on New Year’s Day 🇦🇶

    One of my favorite memories – The Humpback Whales in Graham Passage on New Year’s Day 🇦🇶

    Happy New Year! One of my favorite moments in Antarctica happened on Jan. 1st, 2023–our first day exploring the peninsula.

    We are required to maintain a certain distance from all wildlife, including the whales. But sometimes they have other plans. There were lots of whales in Graham Passage that day and this curious Humpback whale went directly under our zodiac boat and came out the other side. 😮

    Then, another Humpback (maybe the same one?) did the same thing about 10 minutes later. I don’t have a very good video of that 2nd time, but I do of the first time! I have posted both below. (Video taken on my iPhone 13 ProMax- I did not zoom in.)

    The case of the curious Humpback under our zodiac. Ali, the lead expedition guide on the ship, was our guide/Zodiac driver. She said that this has only happened to her one other time in the 9 years she has been a guide. 🐋
    This is the second time. I wasn’t in a good position on the Zodiac to film but you can see the whale’s outline under the water in the beginning of the video.
  • Useful Island Gentoo Penguin Videos from Jan. 3, 2023 🇦🇶

    Useful Island Gentoo Penguin Videos from Jan. 3, 2023 🇦🇶

    Useful Island is covered with Gentoo Penguins colonies and we had so much fun watching them! Here are some videos from that day—always maintaining our 5 meter distance except when one crossed in front of us and I had no where else to go except to stand still (as I was hiking up a hill). I know that some of my narrative isn’t all that great but these little penguins rendered me speechless!

    Welcome to Useful Island!
    Home of Gentoo Penguin colonies
    This is a stand off between a Gentoo Penguin and the Skua bird. These birds are known for two things—stealing Penguin eggs and eating baby chicks.
    We were hiking up the island to see the Chinstrap rookery when these two Gentoo penguins decided to cross my path. It’s very important that we stay on our path and I could not turn around as there were people behind me. So I just stayed still and let them cross.

  • 1/7/2023 Back in Ushuaia 🇦🇷

    What a gorgeous day back in Ushuaia! We are getting ready to disembark and take a tour of Tierra Del Fuego National Park. We will eat lunch at the park and then head to the airport.

    Btw-the Drake was much better than it was when we went to Antarctic. Our crew said that was the “Drake Lake”. I found it interesting because it definitely wasn’t smooth. There were a good number of people who felt sea sick due to a constant roll of the ship. The patch saved me—worked like a charm!

    One note about last evening—our ship’s photographer put together a slide show with pictures he took, as well as those pictures we shared with him. It was amazing and really captured everything we did. He will share the presentation, along with all photos, in a couple of weeks. There were many professional photographers who are passengers on our ship with sophisticated cameras. (FYI there is a photographer on board that films nature and even won an Emmy).

  • Ice cream, you scream…🇦🇶

    Not sure what I’m going to do when I cannot have ice cream twice a day 🤣

    Today’s flavors – chocolate and hazelnut. Perfect combo

  • 1/6/23 – Last day on the ship

    We dock tomorrow and then spend two days traveling home via airplane. This has been a surreal and magical trip—more than I could have imagined! The staff/the crew are all outstanding. They know your name and are always striving to go above and beyond.

    Antarctica exceeded my expectations — I have said this before but it’s other worldly. Serene, beautiful, primitive, wild, and unspoiled. A camera cannot capture the uniqueness of Antarctica, nor can words. It’s one of those “you have to see it to believe it”.

    Everyone on board, including our expedition leaders, have been taking photos/videos and sharing to Ultramarine’s computer. The photographer on the Quark staff is putting all together and will send us the link so we can download the ones we want. There will also be a slide show tonight!

    I just returned from the discussion about Humpback whales (Baleen whales). So fascinating! Some tidbits about these amazing mammals and their culture:

    1. The tail that comes out of the water is called a fluke. They can be 18 feet wide and each fluke is unique. We saw one that had a chunk out of it’s fluke, for example. It’s like our fingerprints. When you see the fluke, you know you won’t see the whale for awhile as fluking helps them dive deep.

    2. They sing songs—and are one of 4 whale species that do this. To be considered a song, it has to have: Melody, rhythm, pitch, and repetition. And the Humpbacks have this! You can find recordings on YouTube. Our biologist, Tom, walked us through an actual Humpback song. It is believed they use their songs as a way to establish the pecking order amongst the group, not for mating.

    3. Their biggest predator is the Orca (Killer) whale —the Orcas focus in on the baby Humpbacks by separating from its mother and then dragging them down, essentially drowning them.

    4. The Humpbacks are here in Antarctica during the summer months to feed. Their breakfast, lunch and dinner of choice are Krill.

    5. They engage in a behavior called Bubble-net feeding. This occurs when whales blow bubbles from their noses to encircle their food (krill/fish) like a net, luring their prey into a tight ball. Then the whales swim together from beneath the water and rise to the surface opening their mouths to gulp up their prey. (We actually saw this behavior the night we camped)

    6. Humpback whales range between 39 to 52 feet in length. They weigh on average 28-33 short tons, although they can be much heavier. The females are larger than the males because they need all that extra blubber for birthing.

    Last full day on the Ultramarine! Tomorrow we disembark & tour Tierra Del Fuego National Park

  • 1/4/2023 – An afternoon with the penguins 🇦🇶

    What a picture perfect day in Antarctica. There were penguins, it was snowing, and there were Humpback whales in the bay! A postcard afternoon.

    Wifi has been slow so going to keep this post brief and show you some of the boisterous and amazing penguins at Palaver Point on Two Hummock Island in Antarctica. Lots of Chinstrap colonies and rookeries with baby chicks (penguins)

    Chinstrap Penguins
    Some are lying on their nests or newly hatched babies

  • 1/4/2023 – Morning in Wilhelmina Bay 🇦🇶

    Icebergs, glaciers, whales, a ship wreck from 1915, a Crabeater seal, and Lichen welcomed us this morning on our zodiac cruise in Wilhelmina Bay.

    A crabeater seal on a gorgeous iceberg. The bluer the iceberg, the older the ice.
    This is the Governoren ship in the middle—two other ships are viewing it on either side. In January 1915, the crew was celebrating another successful whaling trip below deck. Someone (probably partying too much), knocked a lamp off the table and the ship went up in flames. Remember what this ship did? Whaling. They had thousands of gallons of whale oil aboard. All men aboard were saved but the ship remains exactly where it went up in flames.

    The brownish – rust stuff is Lichen (pronounced Like In), a complex life form that results due to a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. Here is the poem—Fred Fungus met Alice Algae and they took a Lichen to each other 💚

  • 1/3/2023 (Good afternoon!) – Just do it! 🇦🇶

    Well, I just did it! “It” is SUP, which is an acronym for “stand up paddle-boarding” and I was very lucky to be a part of a group of 6 others who went SUPing in the Southern Ocean. We saw a humpback whale, lots of penguins swimming, navigated around icebergs from a safe distance, and were so close to the water! I will never forget this one. Started from my knees and eventually worked my way up to standing.

    Working on my courage to stand up! SUP in the Southern Ocean (aka Antarctic Ocean)
    The ocean was like glass! And when my legs stopped shaking, it was one of the coolest experiences.

    FYI – had trouble with this post and it posted like 4 times. I have deleted the others and may have accidentally deleted comments – apologies!!

    Wow! Just wow. Unbelievable experience. Thanks to our guide, Sarah, for the lessons and the incredible spot to SUP!

  • 1/3/2023 And the afternoon continues…

    After the paddle boarding experience, they took us to Damoy Point, which is a rocky isthmus off the west coast of Wiencke Island on the Antarctica Peninsula. There is another Gentoo Penguin Colony and an historic hut established by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in 1975. It was last occupied in 1993 but now is a museum of sorts for visitors. It also has supplies for emergency purposes. It’s unlocked so we could see it. In addition, there is an ice landing field above the hut, on top of the glacier. The British would use this to fly supplies to Rothera Research Station when they couldn’t move supplies by ship.

    The hut is now an historic site and monument
    Gentoo Penguin Colony on Damoy Point with our ship, mountains and icebergs in the background. What a landscape! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn’t it?

  • 1/3/2023: (Good Morning!) A packed agenda 🇦🇶

    After we returned to the ship from camping, we had a day full of adventure so no time to rest. Tonight we are exhausted, sun burned (even with lots of sunscreen), and full of memories!

    Laura and I both kicked off our morning by adventuring out in the Zodiac. BTW—they split the guests into 4 groups and then call one group at a time for activities – Albatross (our group), Gentoo, Petrel, Humpback. In addition, have loading/unloading zodiacs down to perfection.

    We’ve seen a ton of Humpbacks whales, we saw Fin whales, and today we also saw a Minke. I don’t have a picture because they move with a purpose and are back under the water before you can get your camera out.

    Morning Zodiac cruise – We landed on Useful Island, the home to Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. There were penguins EVERYWHERE! Hundreds (if not thousands) of them in colonies, most sitting on eggs. Their babies should be born very soon! Again, we abided by the minimum 5 meter rule but they are curious creatures who wander onto your path so then we have to back away. One such encounter happened while we were hiking up the hillside to see the Chinstrap. They are the cutest birds, curious, and attracted to the color red (because they eat krill who have a reddish color)

    Zodiac Cruisin’ in the Gerlache Straight – lots and lots and lots of icebergs! Will try and post some on the photos page when wifi improves
    Two Gentoo Penguins on Useful Island
    A Gentoo penguin faces off with a Skua bird…who wants its egg!

  • 1/3/2023 – Camping on the continent – Part 1 🇦🇶

    It’s 7:00 am and just back from our overnight camping experience on Danco Island with 58 others from the ship. We had insulated sleeping bags and lots of layers but it was cold! Would we have changed our minds had we known how truly cold it would be? Absolutely not! What an amazing experience to sleep on the continent and experience nighttime. BTW-it was light the entire night. I woke up at 3:30 am and felt like it was still early evening after the sun sets.

    Danco Island is home to lots of penguins – there’s a penguin colony and a penguin highway. The entire hill was covered with penguins. Our guides clearly marked where we slept which ensured we kept our distance from the penguins. We did have a little curious one that popped over to our campsite and eventually went back into the water. VERY IMPORTANT—our guides create a path for us and it’s important for us to stay on that path. If we wander off, we create deep holes with our muck boots. If a penguin falls into that hole, he cannot get out.

    Our white noise was the Gentoo penguin’s continuous bleating, the majestic sound of calving (sounds like thunder) and the distinct noise of the humpback whales in the bay. Those whales can trumpet! It was so serene to breathe in my surroundings, listen, watch, and be amazed.

    Look at those penguins enjoying the sunset!
    This pic was zoomed in significantly. We do not interact with the penguins, even those that wander close to you. We maintain, at a minimum, 5 meters (approx 15 feet)

    The penguins are resilient little birds. They get knocked now and then get right back up again! I have so many videos. I will see if I can post one in the photo section.

    I call this one “The 3 amigos”. They stuck together on that penguin highway like 3 best friends.

    This experience deserves more details so stay tuned for a part 2.

  • 1/2/2023 – The heli flight seeing!🇦🇶

    One of the main reasons we choose Quark is because of their consciousness—to the environment, their guests, their employees. Everything they do is centered around safety for the continent and their guests. This is reflected in the mandatory meetings we go to, the history we learn, the wildlife we encounter, and their commitment to the standards set forth by IAATO for visitors to the continent.

    The second reason we choose Quark is because of their amenities and what we just did—flight seeing! As I said in a prior post, there are two bright yellow Airbus H-145 on board. Every passenger on the ship gets to do one of these tours and we just did ours! We also signed up for the heli landing tour, which may or may not happen tomorrow. Everything (and I do mean everything) is dependent on the weather.

    We only had 5 people—4 in the back and someone in the co-pilot’s seat. Everyone got a window seat!
    Hi Laura!
    Ready for take off!💛
    Cruisin’ over the Antarctica peninsula

    The heli was super smooth and the weather cooperated. The day couldn’t have been any better with these views. WHOA! Seeing places where no person has stepped foot on…it’s overwhelming (in a good way) 😮

  • Two more pics 🇦🇶

    While we await the helicopter flight seeing tour, we are right next to this same iceberg.

    Angle from the ship💙

    There are 3 main types of icebergs: 1. Growler (less than 1 meter), Bergy Bit (1 meter but less than 5 meters), Iceberg (>5 meters)

    Here’s one that comes with a pool!

  • 1/2/23 – Back from morning zodiac excursion in Fornier Bay 🇦🇶☀️

    Yesterday, I sometimes didn’t know where the sky and the ground came together because of the snow and overcast skies.

    Today, the sky and the ocean are one! Bluebird day at Fornier Bay. Lots and lots of humpback whales hanging around. We have to stay a good distance from them—unless they approach (like the one did with us yesterday). I caught a few tails!

    In addition, we saw a female Leopard Seal hanging out on the ice. Again, we maintained our distance. It is their space, not ours. This type of seal is at the top of the food chain, along with Orcas (Killer Whales).

    Note – NONE of these pictures are touched up in any way. Taken on my iPhone 13 Pro Max. This is Antarctica!

    Leopard Sea soaking in the sun ☀️ – we were a ways away per the requirement—this is zoomed in
    One of about 8 whales tails we saw today
    No words for this. Nature’s art canvas at work!

  • 1/1/2023 – Expedition 2 – Graham Passage 🇦🇶

    Fyi—may have to remove the picture from this post as wifi isn’t working very well. Like Laura said, “Well, we are in Antarctica!”

    We took the Zodiac to the passage, explored the amazing icebergs and saw some humpback whales—in fact one went right under our Zodiac!! I have the video to prove it but it will not upload. I will try again later.

    Our guide said that this has only happened to her once before in her 9 years of leading expeditions!

    We saw whales!

  • 1/1/2023 – Expedition 1: Portal Point and Charlotte’s Bay 🇦🇶

    A Weddell Seal taking a little nap! He was directly in our path so the expedition guides created a new path for us 🦭
    Chillin’ and breathing in some really fresh air!

    Pictures will never do this justice. Today was the first expedition via the Zodiac to Portal Point and Charlotte’s Bay. It was our first continent landing.

    History: Portal Point is on the Reclus Peninsula. It’s a long stretch directly from the Polar Plateau. There once was a refuge hut built by the British and in operation from 1956-1997. They could use a nearby snow slope as a gateway up onto the Peninsula plateau. The hut is no longer around.

    Be sure to also check out our other pictures on the “Antarctica Photos” page.

    Dream come true!

  • Land Ho! 🇦🇶

    We’ve reached the South Shetland Islands!!

    Look – we found land! First islands we come to off the coast of Antarctica

  • Happy New Year’s Eve!🇦🇶🎊

    Full day today as we approach the 7th continent. I posted our agenda below. The waters have calmed down considerable but I am now using the patch as well. I feel renewed!

    We finished the Helicopter safety briefing this morn. Our ship has two Airbus H145. We also entered the “who can spot the first iceberg” contest. I have heard different things but we should see one of islands off the Antarctica coast between 3:00-5:00 pm. For reference it’s 9:07 am in STL and 12:07 pm in The Drake Passage.

    Laura and I are sipping coffee/hot cocoa from the 7th deck in the panoramic lounge. It’s time to look for some whales. We’re ready!

    From the bow of the ship—ahoy mateys!
    Our daily agenda onboard Ultramarine💛

  • 12/30: They call it the Drake Shake 🌊🇦🇶

    We have been in the Drake Passage for over 24 hours. About another day to go. I was doing fine and now I am laying down due to the motion. Seems that while the Dramamine helps, it doesn’t help 100%. Let’s just hope it starts to calm down soon. While we haven’t experienced the 7 meter swells like we did the other evening, it’s a lot of constant rocking. 🌊

    Shout out to Hayley Arceneaux and Dr. Sian Proctor who spoke tonight about their experiences as astronauts on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Mission last September. Not only are they two talented women who are “firsts” in many ways (Sian-first black woman to pilot a spacecraft; Hayley-first person in space with a prosthetic leg bone after surviving childhood bone cancer), they are also generously paving the way for others to follow!❤️ Did you know that this SpaceX mission raised $250M for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? If you get a chance, watch the documentary on Netflix – Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space️. It’s super cool that Quark Expeditions advocates for sustainability as well as diversity, equity and inclusion in their programming.

    Laura, Me, Sian, and Hayley in Ushuaia before boarding our ship 🛳️ 🚀