Antarctica!!!!! The 7th Continent

My first sighting of continental Antarctica
Image - Zak Shaw

Links - Hayley Shephard - www.kayakingtosavealbatross.com - First solo attempt to sea kayak around South Georgia January 2009. Funds raised will go to the save the albatross fund and continue to educate commercial fisheries in the southern ocean.
Image Zak Shaw - A Wandering Albatross enjoying the unimpeded winds south of Cape Horn. These latitudes are home to many Albatross and famous for their violent storms that circulate the globe completely un-interupted by landmass.
Robert Swan - www.2041.com - The first person to walk to both poles and leader of project 2041 the year the Antarctic treaty comes up for renewal.

Image - Stephen Curtain

Again I found myself standing on the top deck of the ship wondering how the hell I managed to get myself there! Looking out over the town of Ushuaia it finally set in, where I was about to go!
Image Zak Shaw - Onboard the Akedemik Sergey Vavilov - Crossing the legendary Drake Passage. The Drake is either referred to as the "Drake lake" or you experience the "Drake shake" All season I waited with anticipation for gail-force winds and massive seas. Things got big but a true southern ocean storm never really arrived.



Sea Kayak Guiding, image taken in Neumayer Channel, Antarctic Peninsula

Onboard the "Northhanger" in 2005 after the successful Adventure Philosophy teams "Around South Georgia" expedition we had sailed painfully slow past Isla de los Estados and up into the Beagal Channel of Tierra Del Fuego. Dogged by wind we limped towards Puerto Williams, we were running late and I had a flight to catch!
I'd seen more of South Georgia than most and probably thrown up more than most during our brutal nine day crossing back across the South Atlantic to the Falkland Islands.
As we entered the Beagal Channel I remember looking south and wondering when I may next be at sea and traveling south of Cape Horn.
My chance has come through Peregrine Adventures and my work as a sea kayak guide both in the High Arctic and now in the southern ocean surrounding Antarctica.

In Whilhelmina Bay (Whalehelmina) we didn't even bother getting in the kayaks, Humpback Whales came to us! Incredible, Unreal.
Image - Mark Fitzsimmons, Australia www.blueskyhelicopters.com

Sea kayak guiding in fog and heavy snow storms. Where's the ship? Location Neko Harbour. GPS in hand Goto waypoint = the next massive ice-berg, hot showers and more dessert!
Image - Jorge Ordonez

Cuverville island the temporary home to hundreds of breeding Gentoo Penguins.
Image - Zak Shaw

Everywhere you look Antarctica is impressive.
Image Zak Shaw - Lemaire Channel

Image - Eric Pekar
That's a big whale and thats a small kayak! Ranging between 13 and 15m in length Humpback Whales weigh between 25 to 40 tons (22,680-36,287 kg). They breach and exhale wind gust like plumes of showering spray and bad breath. Ultimately thats alot of blubber breaching and fluking beside you. All I know is that when one is this close to you is thats its quite possibly one of the most amazing experiences ever.


How cool is that! Paddling along the shores of Cuverville Island five massive Humpback Whales surfaced around us for an hour! High times in Antarctica!
Image - Eric Pekar

Image - Zak Shaw

I return to New Zealand this week on the backside of one months work off the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands.