After breakfast and downloading my pictures (which is a regular occurrence), we rode a zodiac in the Cierva Cove, which is surrounded by glaciers, with Tyler (videographer), Alyssa and Thor (the two divers). The purpose of us going out was to launch the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to the bottom of the ocean floor. The ROV is attached by a cable to the housing device on the zokiak; it is equipped with an adjustable camera with optional lights, motors, a depth finder and is run by a generator. The benefit for Alyssa is she can gain information with out actually diving. She used joysticks to control the device and attached camera. She can record the entire journey of the ROV. The depth the ROV went down was 50 meters and the potential depth is 300 meters, but currently there is only 200 meters of cable available. While I watched the ROV operation live, we observed a tunicate, which is a chordate that looks like a tall cylinder. There were types of sea grass and kelp. ROV’s can be used to examine old sunken ships, survey the ocean floor, etc.
An interesting thing about the cove is there is a time-lapse camera supported and maintained by the Extreme Ice Survey. There are two cameras, two car batteries and two solar panels mounted on a hillside opposite the glaciers. The camera takes a photo every hour of daylight. Okay those of you that like a math challenge, how many photos in a year would that be? It ends up being right around 11,000 photos in a year. The last time the camera was checked and pictures downloaded was December 12, 2014. Eric Guth, our mentor, photographer, and naturalist aboard the ship, was able to climb up and retrieve the pictures. One of the cameras had been broken in the wind. The purpose of this is to gain pictorial data about the glaciers and any changes and or movement.
In the afternoon, we went ashore to Mikkelson Harbour, which is a rocky inlet. There were Gentoo penguin colonies and five seals ashore. This harbor was an old whaling station and an abandoned Argentine hut here from the 1950’s. We saw evidence of the whaling operation by some of the whale bones on shore. I then went kayaking with Bill, a guest on the ship, whom I had met at the beginning of the voyage. He steered which gave me a great opportunity to take more photos…imagine that! We paddled around Mikkelson Harbour and enjoyed the bergs that were grounded, meaning they were not floating, and the skua birds flying in the area.
The air temperature has hovered around freezing – give or take a few degrees. What makes it cold is the wind. From what I understand, there has been quite a storm in Montana so I think it is safe to say, where I am at in Antarctica, is warmer than Montana. Speaking of cold, we also had the polar plunge last night. Ellie, Kathy and myself all jumped together…may I just say it was freezing! We literally went all the way under. It was reported after the plunge that the water temperature was 29 degrees Fahrenheit. You might ask why the water wasn’t frozen? Because it is sea ice, it has a lower freezing temperature. After a cup of hot chocolate and a warm shower, we recovered nicely and have no regrets.
Every night the naturalists give us short meaningful and informative presentations that connect to what we say or did that day. They are very helpful to tie everything together and extend one’s thinking. In addition, the guests have the opportunity to ask the naturalists questions.
Unless stated, all photos were taken by Beth Thomas.