Today was our last day in Antarctica. 

In the morning we had a zodiac excursion to a volcanic basaltic rocky mound called Edinburgh hill. This was formed when lava cooled forming hexagonal columns like Devil’s Tower or Devil’s Postpile. We were having some pretty decent snow when we were out there.

We also had our daily whale sighting.

This mom and calf were a long ways off and partially obscured by snow, but did give us a whale fix for the day.

In the afternoon we had our last Antarctic landing. We were on Half Moon Island, one of the South Shetland Islands. There is a small Argentine Antarctic base on the island.

Multiple birds nest on Half Moon Island, the most numerous being Chinstrap penguins.

Chinstrap penguins are a little smaller than the Gentoo penguins that we have been seeing. They have a dark beak and a black line that extends under their chin. 

We also saw a handful of Antarctic fur seals. They mostly were napping. These guys primarily eat krill, fish, and squid, with an occasional bird. 

All of their chicks were much larger than the ones we have been seeing. This is because this island is farther north and they were able to lay their eggs earlier in the season.

Great skuas