Matias, Deckhand
Day 0
Punta Arenas was its same beautiful and windy self on this Wednesday January 15, 2025. But for twelve lucky photographers and myself, it felt different. It was the starting point of our adventure to Antarctica.
At the briefing we were told to expect the unexpected, and the unexpected happened very soon after when we found out that our departure time for the airport would be 3:00 AM. Weather patterns had advanced our flight to the early morning, but we were happy to let the adventure begin.
Flying over the Drake passage takes about 2 hours, a lot faster than 4 days of heavy seas to reach the white continent.
Once arrived we were warmly greeted by the crew of Hans Hansson, and there were even already some chinstraps penguins on the beach.
After getting to know our home for the next two weeks, we started sailing South and tried to catch up on some well-deserved sleep.
Day 1
The next day, we took a scenic zodiac ride along the coast of Spert island, getting to admire our first icebergs from up close, next to some intricate rock formations.
We spotted some Weddel seals swimming, and everybody got great shots of two chinstraps penguins on an ice floe. A giant petrel completed our visit and it was time to head back to the boat.
After a great lunch, cooked by the talented Scottie, we had enough energy for an afternoon adventure: our first landing!
It would be on D’Hainaut Island, a beautiful place located inside of a natural harbor. On the beach whale bones and boat artifacts welcomed us in, showing us some of the history of the place.
The island is very well populated with gentoo penguins, and as we got a bit closer we could see the many chicks hidden underneath them. It is a joy to observe the parents feeding their offsprings, some of them already impressively big.
Everybody takes their time walking slowly around the island, and the peace is only interrupted by some loud glacier carving sounds coming from the end of the bay.
At one point a big piece of ice fell loudly in the water, creating a big wave that dissipated in the bay.
On the other side of the island we can see a small Argentine refuge completely surrounded by penguins.
When we are done exploring D’Hainaut, a quick zodiac ride takes us back to the Hans Hansson, where we find warmth, comfort, and good food.
Day 2
Chris and Michael, the photo guides, were up early, assessing the light and spotting some potential shots. Today’s plan was to cruise around some scenic routes, Cierva cove and Charlotte bay.
There was a lot of ice in Cierva cove, but we were drawn in further by the beauty of it all. As the day progressed, the clouds made way to the sun, illuminating mountains ridges all around.
In the middle of this, we spotted some humpback whales, as well as seals hauled out on icebergs.
The Argentine Antarctic base Primavera served as a nice backdrop to the scene.
A large iceberg with an arch then captured our attention, and Voy at the helm performed a 360º manoeuver to capture it from all angles.
As the day was winding down, the wind completely dropped and the sea reflected the light of a very prolonged polar sunset.
The ship was forced to slow down and weave her way through the ice, but the beauty of it all made it very worthwhile.
In the next few days, we look forward to going further south down the Antarctic Peninsula, discovering new spots on the way!
Matias Moana Guerrero
