Neko Harbor in Anvord Bay - Antarctica
It was time to prepare the zodiacs and lower them into Anvord Bay. Fascinating...View image... One zodiac had all the emergency gear in it. Food, medication, tools, everything packed in huge chests. These came with us on all landings. We'd watch the individual zodiac drivers get in their zodiac, hang on and the entire zodiac would be winched over the side of the ship and slowly lowered into the water. Before you knew it, all the zodiacs were in the water and off to find the best landing spot. Very interesting to watch the crew's precision.
The largest iceberg we've seen on this trip was on the way to Neko Harbor. An iceberg has to be bigger than ship to really be called an "iceberg." The largest Antarctic iceberg ever recorded was larger than Belgium.
Neko Harbor was dead calm and sunny. A perfect last day on land in Antarctica, our 7th Continent.
Right off the bat, a baby Elephant Seal, snoozing in the sun. This was a very young elephant seal. They only come to Antarctica when they have been at sea feeding and come on shore to rest. This little guy (or gal) would be three years old before developing the characteristic elephant nose. Elephant Seals can also spend up to eight months at sea. This one blended so perfectly into the rocks that I didn't even see it until Fiona pointed it out to us.
First, there was just one Weddell Seal basking in the sun...View image...
...and then another one popped out of the sea, onto shore, and laboriously made its way (with lots of rest stops and blubber flapping all over the place) to seal #1... We got tired just watching it slowly creep along...
In the meantime, the Orlova made a picture-perfect postcard riding placidly in Anvord Bay...
