24 February 2023, Antarctic Cruise Day 11, Marguerite Bay to Loubet Coast via Horseshoe Island –

I thought nothing would top yesterday, but today came damn close.  We had a quiet morning as we sailed through calm seas and under blue skies, towards Horseshoe Island.  It was during lunch that the call came – “orcas!” They were on the port side so the entire dining room dropped what they were doing/eating, and rushed over.  The wait staff kept calling out “shark!” – generally all you see of an orca is their dorsal fin slicing through the water.  There were about a dozen of them.

Today’s landing was probably the most interesting so far.  We cruised into a spectacular bay, ringed by snow capped mountains, and icebergs dotted about in the water.  The water at the landing site was so clear, and it was smooth underfoot so we were quickly ashore.

First stop as the British “Y” base.  The hut is larger than the others we’ve seen, and comparatively comfortable and very well stocked.  I couldn’t see much inside as I only had my sunglasses, so I took lots of photos that I could look at later.  They even had a picture of Queen Elizabeth on the wall, above the record player with its Buddy Holly album.

We crossed a low ridge and headed down over the rocks to two lookout points.  There was a small inlet full of icebergs sparkling in the sunshine.  There was not a cloud in the sky, nor a breath of wind, and we were beginning to shed gloves and hats in the relative warmth.  I imagined the icebergs starting to soften, and looking like whipped cream.  We saw plenty of seals basking – Weddell and Crabeater happily co-existing.

A short walk along the pebbly beach, past a frozen ice ledge, brought us to the Adelie penguin colony.  They are moulting, and every so often one would give itself a shake, resulting in a cloud of downy feathers flying through the air.

All too soon it was time to return to the ship. We marvelled again at the comfort and sturdiness of our muck boots; I don’t want to part with them!  We are old hands now at getting on and off the zodiacs, and we enjoyed the ride.

We thought that was it for the evening.  We listened to the update for tomorrow (only three more cruises/landings to go, sob), and headed to dinner at our usual time.  Some instinct made me take the camera, which I don’t usually do; but I thought we might get some nice light on the mountains as we sailed out of the bay.  Indeed we did, and I snapped away happily while enjoying the meal.

Suddenly we realised there was a bit of a commotion going on in the water below.  Seals were on the run, bobbing up anxiously as they went.  Packs of orcas were heading in the opposite direction, obviously on the hunt.  The seals were dashing towards small icebergs to seek refuge, whilst the orcas were hunting them in packs. All this drama went on against a spectacular backdrop as the sun set, casting a soft rose glow over the mountains and glaciers.

The restaurant emptied, and we headed out on deck to keep watching.  The orcas vs seals contest went on for quite some time, and we watched until the light faded.  Either animal is very hard to capture – the seals move so fast, and the orcas barely break the surface. Meanwhile on the other side of the ship, the sun was glowing golden against the ridgeline.   I broke my record for photos in a single day.