Buff-necked Ibis, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Sundews, carnivorous plants in a bog in the national park on Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
The Polar Star sits among a number of tourist ships at the dock in Ushuaia, Argentina
The Andes Mountains tower over Ushuaia.
Hourglass Dolphin porpoises alongside the Polar Star on route to the Falklands
Black-browed Albatross couple courting
Rockhoppers on New Island in the West Falklands
A Gentoo Penguin chases off a Dolphin Gull
Gentoos explode from a wave on New Island
Rockhopper Penguins mate on West Point Island, Falkland Islands
Sea Shells on the beach at Carcass Island, Falkland Islands.
Gentoo Penguins come ashore on Carcass Island
Magellanic Penguins on the beach at Carcass Island
Magellanic Penguin in it's nesting burrow
Falkland Island Snipe in the grass
Wingless fly on the beach at Carcass Island, Falkland Islands
Oystercatchers and a Gentoo Penguin on Steeple Jason Island, Falkland Islands
Skua pair mating
Skuas attack Ted Cheeseman on Steeple Jason Island
Gentoo colony on Steeple Jason Island
Striated Caracara on Steeple Jason Island
Lichens on the rocks at Steeple Jason Island
Black-throated Finch on Steeple Jason Island
Black-browed Albatross nest on Steeple Jason Island
Tim Hannah of Australia's North Territories shows his scratches from a Caracara attack.
Long-finned Pilot Whales between the Falklands and South Georgia Island
Furseal bulls fight on the beach in Right Whale Bay, South Georgia Island
Skua claims a meal at the King Penguin carcass
Skua tears meat from a King Penguin carcass
King Penguin Colony at Right Whale Bay, South Georgia Island
King Penguin and it's "Oakum Boy".
Introduced Caribou feeds among Gentoo Penguins.
Gentoo Penguin and chick
Ted Cheeseman leads a hike from Fortuna Bay to Stromness Whaling Station, a piece of Ernest Shackleton's life saving route.
Mountain Horns over South Georgia along the Stromness hike
Climbing down to Stromness which can be seen on the bay shore.
Furseal pups play and hide among old whaling ship propellers.
Grytviken
King Penguins at the Salisbury Plains in the Bay of Isles
King Penguin Colony at the Salisbury Plains, South Georgia Island
Wandering Albatross constructing a nest on Prion Island in the Bay of Isles, South Georgia Island
The new boardwalk on Prion Island
Hugh enjoys a moment with the Furseal pups
Art class drawing King Penguins in the field
The King Penguin Colony at St Andrew's Bay
Mating pair of Kings
King Penguin pair debate exchanging duties as egg care giver
Young male Elephant Seal
Penguins on an Iceberg at sunrise off South Georgia
Macaroni Penguins in Cooper Bay, South Georgia
Snow Petrel over the jade colored glacial waters in Drygalski Fjord
Penguins, Terns, Pintado Petrels and others feed at the head of the Risting Glacier in Drygalski Fjord
Gentoo Penguins in Drygalski Fjord
Pintado Petrel over rough seas between South Georgia and The South Orkney Islands
The Polar Star hits some big waves, but misses the storm on the crossing to the South Orkneys
A Humpback calf breaches time and again, as if for fun.
Penguins on an iceberg as we approach the Orkneys
Collapse of a large iceberg
The deepest blue iceberg of our trip sits off the South Orkneys
More Penguins on icebergs
Adult and chick Adelie Penguins in a colony on the South Orkney Islands
Adelie Colony on Coronation Island with the sunshine Glacier in the background
Pintado Petrel at nest cavity
Chocolate swirl... not!
Sunset in the Weddell Sea
Eli Charne talks about surviving the sinking of the Explorer last year.
Weddell Seal off Devil's Island in the Weddell Sea
Jim Danzenbaker cruises with passengers in his zodiac off Devil's Island
Adelie Penguins
Adelie Penguins porpoise
Two glaciers meet at the sea and push up together at their edge.
Vega Island with the Antarctic Peninsula in the background
Iceberg off Vega Island
Picking up delayed luggage in a zodiac from the ship called Le Diamant which was chartered by Stanford University alumni.
Penguins by the thousand retreat from our ship as we navigate the narrow Fridtjof Sound to Brown Bluff
Very strong currents in the Fridtjof Sound
Doug Cheeseman gets excited about the challenges of landing passengers at Brown Bluff, on the Antarctic Peninsula, with a crush of Icebergs ashore.
An Adelie Penguin jumps into my boat. One of two that day.
Edward with Adelie Penguins at the colony on Paulet Island. Photo by Craig Poore
The remains of a hut built by Dr. Otto Nordenskjold’s 1901-1904 Swedish Antarctic Expedition on Paulet Island.
Adelie feeds chick
Chicks chase an Adelie adult for food
Adelie scrambles over shore ice
Cormorants preen
Sheathbill nest with two chicks
Adelie chicks creche together when their parents are off feeding
Orcas in the Antarctic Sound
Leopard Seal in Cierva Cove on the Antarctic Peninsula
Leopards grin and drool
Primavera Base in Cierva Cove
Humpbacks
Humpback tail
Iceberg off Cuverville Island
Gentoo Penguin colony on Cuverville Island
Ice arch that collapsed a half hour later
Port Lockroy, Wiencke Island
3 masted bark Europa leaves Port Lockroy after we arrive in the Polar Star
Skua attacks a Gentoo chick at Port Lockroy
Gentoo nest
Glacier front near Neko Harbor
Skua eats a Gentoo Penguin egg at Neko Harbor
A Gentoo approaches Dennis Spriggs as he draws a glacier in Neko Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula
Cancelled landing grounds zodiac drivers at Deception Island. Dressed for the job, we wait as the Polar Star leaves Bailey Head due to high wind and large waves. Left to right: Chris Savigny, Edward, Tom Fleishner, Craig Poore and Jim Danzenbaker.
We entered the caldera on Deception and conducted a short landing at the old British scientific station in Whaler's Cove. The roof over a cache of drums caves in as the structure deteriorates. Who knows what is in those drums, but it's probably fuel.
Passing through the gates of Neptune as we exit Deception Island. Snow blows sideways creating an interesting effect.
Mites gathered under a rock at Hannah Point on Livingston Island.
The only two flowering plants in the Antarctic are found at Hannah Point. A grass and a pearlwort.
The lichens on the rocks in the antarctic are varied and beautiful.
Two Kelp Gull chicks on Hannah Point.
The trip ends and we travel back to Cape Horn and Argentina across the dreaded Drake Passage. Again the waves were big, but we missed the worst of it by using modern satellite wind forecast maps and squeezing between storms.
