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).
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
Christina’s Journey Journal 