18th March – Dolphins, Cape Horn and the perfect ending to a splendid adventure
We woke up feeling that today would be just like yesterday (except for the amazing pilot whales): long shifts in the wind on the bridge deck, staring out at the sea and wishing very hard that those waves would turn into any form of marine mammal to break the monotony of a fruitless watch. Clearly the pilot whales were the highlight of the Drake. We expected that we would pay for that extraordinary sighting by seeing nothing at all today and being left to our contemplation of the impending end of this trip.
It turned out that we were VERY mistaken. Seabirds including majestic wandering albatross ere numerous throughout the day. Marine mammal-wise, we spotted a pod of dusky dolphins coming straight towards the ship by 9.30 am. One hour later, a pod of Peale’s Dolphins was sighted, generating the second rush of students and passengers to any possible available deck. Peale’s dolphins often bow-ride (swimming and porpoising around the bow of the ship), so we were able to observe them, take pictures and film them to our hearts’ content.
A bit later on in the day, the ship was allowed to enter Chilean waters so we could approach the island of the famous Cape Horn. The view from the Plancius was amazing, but to top that, there was a naval exercise taking place right between us and Cape Horn. Six beautiful schooners under full sail were cruising past the Cape – this being part of the navy recruit training which happens very rarely down here so the timing was perfect.
The schooners were absolutely beautiful, and seeing them round Cape Horn felt a bit like we were time-traveling to a pre-mechanical exploration era when we depended on the wind to discover new horizons, and Sir Francis Drake (pirate for the British Crown) explored these waters (and gave his name to the infamous Passage we had just crossed).
We were graced by a few more Dusky and Peale’s dolphins in the afternoon, but the highlight of the day only happened when we were starting to enter the Beagle Channel and thought everything was winding down. Big splashes on the port side! These turned into a pod of three killer whales hunting a large male South American sea lion just a few hundred meters from the ship. Needless to say, all scientific effort unrelated to those killer whales, and any other activity on board was suspended (including the ship’s itinerary towards the channel) to better appreciate the unexpected sighting.
We witnessed most of this hunt, avidly following and appreciating the tactics of the ‘wolves of the sea’ whilst siding with the brave sea lion. The latter eventually managed to distance himself from the pod, swam straight towards us, and then hid from the hunting killer whales by pushing himself right against the side of the Plancius and swimming under our stern (back of the ship) where the wash of the propeller created an acoustic barrier to the killer whale echolocation. The sea lion stayed there, exhausted, while the killers circled the Plancius. It does not get more dramatic than this!!! After about 15 minutes, the killer whales departed, without their dinner (much to the delight of ‘Team Sea lion’).
This fantastic event marked the end of the scientific surveys, and mix of satisfaction and melancholy descended on all of us as the evening progressed, bringing on all the lasts: the captain’s farewell drinks reception with all the ‘thank you’s and reflection on this amazing journey, then our last dinner, and finally the last chance to socialise before disembarking the next morning.
I know tomorrow will bring new and great experiences, but since this evening marked the end the Antarctic stretch of our trip, I would like to take a chance to say what an amazing polar adventure this was for me. I have decided it won’t be my last, and I think it’s safe to say that everyone on this trip feels the same. Good-bye for now, Antarctica. ‘Hasta luego!’ and not ‘Adios’.
Maria (SH student)