We had a great time this morning watching a humpback mother-calf pair interacting for about an hour. When we came out to the bow they were breaching but they soon rested, although the calf became playful again.

Calf pectoral fin slapping.

Mom fin slapping.

The calf is swimming on its side near mom. You can see mom’s blowhole.

In the afternoon we landed on Danco Island, which is a small island off of the Antarctic Peninsula named after a Belgian geophysicist. There was a decent sized Gentoo penguin colony, part of which was on a rocky beach. We technically were scheduled to make two landings, back to back, so we just stayed longer for one landing. 

Walking on a deep penguin highway.

Penguin highways: these are paths that the penguins use regularly so they get worn down in the snow and ice.

Penguin highways in the other direction.

Penguin with a chick and a hatching egg.

Us at the top of the trail.

Splooting penguin. Their feet seem really out of proportion but are perfect for swimming.

Coming in from a swim.

View

Beach colony

Nearby Weddel seal

These are the emergency packs they bring on all of the landings. They include food, shelter, and medical supplies in case sudden weather changes lead to us being stranded on a site unexpectedly for a while.