Mhairi: “My favourite moment of the trip was actually when the glacier collapse but I didn’t have my camera quite ready for it! So my second favourite moment is the sunrise zodiac cruise in Cierva cove. It was our last day in Antarctica and the whole ship was up at 6.30am. Wildlife-wise it was a relatively quiet cruise but this one was all about the landscape and those stunning pink skies. It was the perfect ending to our time in Antarctica.”Tammi: “This is my favourite photo from the Antarctic expedition, taken during a sun rise zodiac cruise in Cierva Cove. The view was breath-taking and I was so happy to share that moment with such an amazing group of people.”Diego: “I chose this picture because it shows the amazing landscape of Antarctica and introduces one of the most curious marine mammals of the zone, a young Antarctic fur seal. These creatures make one wonder who is watching who.”Helena: “Since I’m sure everyone will tell their whale-watching and penguin stories over and over, I opted for the sighting of a more secret beauty. In the Drake Passage, on our way back, this Light-mantled sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) came soaring past the vessel while I was on marine mammal survey duty. This species is listed as Near Threatened and is not a common sight on these journeys. Since the Plancius was surrounded by heavy fog, I only saw the bird making 1 or 2 circles around our vessel before disappearing again. I could not leave my post but I had the radio with me: “Scott, I know I shouldn’t be asking but could you please, please bring my camera to port-side? Please!”. Luckily for me, there were no mammals around so Scott, who was logging at the time, could quickly unlock the wind-door and pass me my camera in order for me to take this lucky shot. Moments after, it was gone. I remember one of our expedition guides mentioning that the Latin name of this species freely translates into ‘Crescent moon goddess’, referring to the white shape above the eye. The birdwatcher in me was ecstatic.”
