A gentle swell and an easy passage down the Gerlache Strait found us in Wilhelmina Bay in time for breakfast, and the opportunity for a zodiac cruise in the morning. Right on breakfast time, an announcement from the bridge had everyone scurrying for their warm outer gear and cameras. Four humpback whales were seen off portside, and they were feeding!
Humpback whales sometimes feed by a process called “bubble-net feeding”, one of the diverse feeding techniques they use. Humpbacks are very flexible; some individuals will focus on specific feeding methods, and have more diverse techniques than other whales. Bubble-net feeding occurs where a ring of bubbles forms around the prey – as the bubbles rise they create a cage that traps and concentrates the food, so that when the whales come up from below they can feed efficiently by engulfing the entire ball of prey. Social bub ble net feeding is when multiple whales co-operately work together – it requires co-ordinated timing, and is an advantage for the whales when food is not highly concentrated
It is quite rare to see social bubble net feeding in Antarctica, so we were extremely lucky to see it this morning. Usually the food is at the surface, and the whales’ mouths are fully open. Today the food was located at least 10 metres down, as by the time the whales reached the surface their mouths were closed, so they were gulping their food below the surface. Our Russian captain very kindly slowed the ship down, manoeuvring in a wide circle and sneaking up to get a close-up position of the feeding whales. We were treated to a spectacular show of bubble-net feeding. There were plenty of opportunities for whale fluke shots, many of which hopefully will make it into the Happy Whale Database.
The first zodiac cruise for the trip headed off mid-morning into the stunning Wilhelmina Bay, and head-on into choppy seas and a brisk wind. Clever zodiac drivers made for shelter in the small bays, and we saw incredible ice and snow sculptures, both on land and in the water. A couple of crab-eater seals lying on an iceberg were sighted, quickly followed by a couple of mother humpback whales and their calves slowly moving through the water. A highlight for one zodiac (or lowlight!) was experiencing a whale calmly excreting the contents of its bowel as a brown cloud into the water. Apparently whale poop is critical food for krill, which are the main or only food source for just about everything bigger than it in Antarctica.
Other zodiacs were lucky enough to see minke whales, and there were plenty of Antarctic terns, shags, skuas and petrels circling the sky. Back in the warmth of the ship it was chilli buffet for lunch, with the prospect of an afternoon landing on Cuverville Island to look forward to.
A late afternoon landing on the island was scheduled, where the largest colony of Gentoo penguins in Antarctica is found. Later, some expeditioners went zodiac cruising, and were fortunate to spot leopard seals, Antarctic fur seals, Weddell seals and crabeater seals, before heading back to the ship for Happy Hour and the PenGuano cocktail - vodka, blue curaçao and lemon juice.
The kayakers managed to get their first paddle in off the shore of Cuverville Island. They got a great perspective of the Gentoo colony from off shore, saw fur seals on a rock outcrop, and leopard seals in the water were following the kayaks. Paddling was challenging due to variable wind conditions, starting from the NE and swinging around to the west, which made it physically demanding for a first paddle, but immensely satisfying.
In the evening lounge before dinner, humpbacks were spotted, porpoising gentoos, more humpbacks, humpbacks breaching, it goes on and on….this place has been renamed Whale-helmina Bay!
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