Day 2 – Drake Shake and Fog
On the morning of the second day of our journey we got woken up by a more turbulent sea – an immediate indication that we had entered the Drake Passage. Some students couldn’t wait to get started and opted in to a pre-breakfast observation session. Those entrepid explorers braving the cold and a rather rough sea with winds of over 20 m/s ( >70 km/h) were rewarded with two firsts on this expedition: we spotted our first albatross, a black-browed one, and a group of dusky dolphins who were enjoying their time jumping out of the water just as much as we did watching them. After all, an old German saying states that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.
At 8 o’clock it was finally time for breakfast – and a headcount. As expected, some of us were having some trouble getting acclimated to the rough sea. However, after breakfast the majority of students set out to collect the first pieces of data. After a brief introduction to equipment and methodology, data collection commenced for three hours with mixed success: the teams observing sea mammals unfortunately didn’t spot any but enjoyed the constant company of blue petrels. The seabird observation teams got more lucky and were not only able to identify different seabird species but also managed to catch a glimpse of a breaching humpback whale.
Due to a continuously decreasing visibility, the efforts were suspended after lunch. Everyone attended the compulsory IAATO briefing detailing rules and guidelines that are to be followed when setting foot on land in Antarctica. Especially due to the reemergence of bird flu, some stricter regulations have been introduced, aiming to protect the native wildlife by preventing the spread of the virus. After a short break (where some took a nap(, the team enjoyed the captain’s welcome and got introduced to the crew. Finally, there was an option to decorate the water bottles provided by the ship. Popular motives included Adélie penguins and the continent of Antarctica. The evening was concluded with a team dinner and a game night.
It was especially exciting to finally reach 60 degrees latitude and cross into Antarctic waters later during the night. We all anticipate laying our eyes on Antarctic land for the first time tomorrow (fingers crossed for better visibility)!
(written by Hannah)