Based on the sunset the day ahead looked promising. I set the alarm for 6:45. At 7 AM, as we were getting ready, the Captain came on the horn telling us that there was a pod of Orc (killer whales) working at the bow of the ship. Several of our friends were up already and in the gym. The elliptical trainer looks out over the bow and they had been watching for several minutes. One friend said she could see the clock ticking down to 7 AM and the captain hit the mic button at 7 on the button.

The Captain apologized for waking us up but no one took that seriously. Most people on board were happy he did. Suzi and I made it to the open viewing area on our deck, deck 6. From being out on our balcony we knew there was fog, but it was lifting. We watched the orca as well as penguins who were feeding.

By the time the Captain backed us away from the Orca pod it was clear that this would be a spectacular day. I will deal with the scenery in another post, but we saw a lot of wildlife on day 2. After the orca we continued to see wildlife.

In both Paradise Harbor and Gerlache Strait we saw humpback whales. One whale was recognizable from its whistle as it exhaled, almost like it was wheezing. I snapped some pictures an submitted them to Happy Whale, a citizen science site where they match the fluke markings with their records. It allows them to tell where the whales travel over time.

There were Gentoo penguins. Large numbers were feeding in Paradise Harbor and Gerlache strait. They were feeding adjacent to the humpback whales, perhaps going after the same krill. Their swimming is called porpoising because they look like those marine mammals. Porpoising may be the proper term but when feeding they look to me like a thrash of penguins.

Non thrashing penguins were resting at their rookery on Waterboat Point in Paradise Harbor, which they share with a Chilian research station. Staying at that station may be unpleasant because of the smell, although the views are stunning. The point was the site of a pioneering penguin study where two young men stayed for a full year in 1921 and 22. They made their camp out of the remains of a former British camp, including the remains of a boat left behind, hence the name Waterboat Point.

We also saw Weddel and crabeater seals, and perhaps a leopard seal, although on pic of that one.

I am still fussing over scenery pictures. But there will be galleries of pics in future posts.