Kayaking
By Jaimy de Vries
I was among the intrepid adventurers to ply the frigid waters of Southern Ocean in a sea kayak, amidst brash ice and icebergs, among seals, penguins and seabirds, through wind and swell, under cloud and sun, in a true polar wilderness. We conquered 32 km on the Antarctic sea!
Suit up!
On my Antarctica trip I booked a kayak excursion too. On our first day at the boat we got an explanation how it works. We are not kayaking only once, but we are going to try to kayak as much as possible. The kayak trips are on the same time the others are going to land. That was sad to hear, because you’re going to miss land-time. But kayaking in Antarctica is a very different perspective to discover Antarctica and we go on land too. Besides we are not going to kayak every time, so there will be full landings too. The next day we got geared up. We tried out our drysuit, boots and swim vest.
Getting dressed up made me excited to go on a kayak expedition. But first we needed to wait at least a day before we arrived in Antarctica.
I’m ready! Thumbs up!
Dorian Bay
Our first kayaking trip took place in Dorian Bay. A beautiful little bay in the middle of the scenic Nuemayer Channel. This time we got all together in the zodiacs for a short safety briefing and for setting the foot pedals. Once we were all in the water, we practice a little bit on how to handle a sea kayak. Right after, we started paddling very close to coastline to be sheltered from the winds. We observed from the kayaks a Gentoo penguin colony and then we paddled towards a huge glacier front where we took some pictures. After that we finished kayaking on the beach and we had some time on shore to visit Damoy Point! Unfortunately little time, because it was our first kayak trip and we needed to practice a bit. But it was s great start!
Unloading the kayaks
First test “drive”
Neko Harbour
On our second day we had one of the best kayaking trips during this expedition. It was in Neko Harbour. This time Antarctica showed us how magical and calm she could be. This kayaking session felt like paddling in heaven, where the mirror calm sea, the white huge mountains and the immense sky all mixed together, giving us a great feeling of peace. We paddled among brush ice and huge icebergs for a long time. We were surrounded by glaciers that you can hear excavating. There is no other sound like that. And then our guide told us to go to a quiet place by ourself and just stay still, enjoy and listen to the sounds of Antarctica. It was amazing, just living in the moment and take everything in. I heard glaciers excavating, birds and penguins making noise and water sounds. I asked what those water sounds were, melting of the ice? Icebergs moving? The guide told me it was the oxygen bubbles coming out of de icebergs. After our kayaking session we went on land, this time on the continent!
A huge iceberg
With my Russian kayak buddy
The sea is like a mirror (quite rare in Antarctica)
Through ice slush
Portal Point
My third kayak trip was in Portal Point, a great area for paddling next to big icebergs and glaciers. On the rocky coast we observed many fur seals and birds. A very quiet paddling with very impressive surroundings. After kayaking we went on land for visiting the white continent again!
A seal waving to us
Deception Island
On my fourth kayak trip we went to paddle in Whalers Bay at the entrance of Deception Island. We were lucky because most of the times the weather conditions are bad, so it’s not possible to kayak or even go on land. We started close to the beach and paddled along the coastline next to steam formed by the warmer waters that rise from the volcano. After that we reached the huge volcanic cliffs with different colors and shapes. The sea was mirror calm and transparent. We kept on paddling towards Neptune’s Bellows and slowly we entered in the open waters from the Bransfield Strait! We took time to admire the impressive and dramatic scenery, and of course to make some group photos. After that we jumped back in the zodiac for a fast shuttle with Flipper so we had more time on shore to visit the whaling remains. This was another great paddling in Antarctic and this time inside a huge volcano!! This was the second best kayak trip! The scenery was amazing: the black beach, steam coming from ashore, big rock formations and lots of seals swimming, approaching us and climbing on rocks and one even tried to climb on the kayak in front of us.
Kayaking away from the cruise
Smoke coming from the crater
Group picture
Half Moon Island
My fifth and last kayak trip in Antarctica was at half-moon island. At the beginning it was windy but luckily the coastline protected us again. We paddled very close to the shoreline having fun sorting some rocks. Then we head towards the Argentinian Camara station, next to penguins and a beautiful rocky beach. When we reach the tip of the island the wind picked up and paddling became a bit more challenging but fun. Once we went around the tip, we found shelter again and we finished kayaking in very calm waters. Well done team! Amazing and peaceful times on the cold Antarctic waters!
¡hasta luego friends from the kayak team!
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