Grand Expedition to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands - 12/3

Today was our second day of the Drake Passage. It was calm so we made great time on the crossing. In fact, we were making such great time that we were able to slow the ship down and spend time looking for wildlife. We did see some whales far in the distance and even had some Hourglass dolphins come to the ship to play. They spent about 10 minutes bow-riding.

I’m not sure if many of you have seen this before, so I will try and describe it. You can also check out some photos below. Basically, the dolphins come up to the front of the ship and surf below and above the wave we are making by moving forward. From my perspective, it looks like a lot of fun.

In the afternoon, as we approached the Beagle Channel, the Giant Petrels and Black-browed Albatross' were using the wind that the ship was generating to glide behind the ship. It is kind of the same idea as bow riding, but instead riding the air currents and updrafts. I was able to stand on the stern deck and the birds would glide right past at eye level.

It was pretty incredible. Here are a few photos that I took.