Antarctica and South America on the Zaandam

[scubacruiserx2]

14 hours ago, Joeghartman said:

This is amazing!!   I just did a cruise to Alaska and now want to start saving for this! Think I’ll be saving for a while. Stunning scenery!

 

Well thank you . Yes the price was high . I don't think I mentioned the new Polar Ice Code that will restrict cruise ship from going . So here's the post from Sea Dog 46 .

 

Anyone considering an Arctic or Antarctic cruise should be aware of the new IMO Polar Code that comes into full force on 1st Jan. 2022.

The code will effect all large cruise ships & current expedition vessels as they renew there 5 year certificates before 2022.

New buildings are built to the code & this is why many have delayed completion dates & are costing a lot more to build.

A few ships have had very expensive refits to meet the code requirements.

[scubacruiserx2]

We can see the water , almost there

 

 

We made it ahead of the crowds .

 

 

The colony of King Penguins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A video clip of noisy king penguins :

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The penguins behavior was both amusing and amazing

 

Snoozing

 

 

 

Flapping

 

 

Scratching

 

 

Snuggling

 

 

Waiting for a bus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Crowing

 

And posing

 

 

Video clip of  a penguin pair waddling through the crowd  :

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We didn't see any King chicks but there is an adjacent colony of Gentoo with cute chicks 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

 

 

Gentoo penguins in the Falkland Islands video clip :

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

Don't cross the stones 

 

 

Molting 

 

 

 

Walk like a penguin

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We saw birds of prey circling overhead

 

 

So  keep moving

 

 

Measuring up

 

 

 

Ready for a selfie

 

 

and a close up

 

 

 

 

[Trend]

Amazing thanks so much for sharing, did you say this was at Volunteer Point

[scubacruiserx2]

6 minutes ago, Trend said:

Amazing thanks so much for sharing, did you say this was at Volunteer Point

 

Yes , it was Volunteer Point .

[Trend]

Thanks again for sharing

[scubacruiserx2]

10 minutes ago, Trend said:

Thanks again for sharing

 

You're welcome and we have a few more photos to share .

[scubacruiserx2]

Proud parent

 

 

It's hard not to crow when you're this happy

 

 

 

I don't know where junior gets it from

 

 

 

On the run

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We didn't bring our winter jackets and with the wind , chill and a little rain we decided to head back toward the car 

 

 

we took a little detour toward the beach

 

 

a few other birds near there

 

 

Upland geese

 

 

 

a pit stop

 

 

This was affixed to the ladies room . It says that King penguins can dive almost 1000' (300 M) deep

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

After warming in the car we had a bite to eat before paying Nyree our fee in British Pounds . There are no ATMs on the island so we brought it with us . We decided to return more scenic route with another vehicle along for safety .

 

 

We requested a photo stop here and the ground was a bit soft

 

 

This is a good reason not to DIY  here looking for penguins 

 

 

When the 2nd vehicle tried to pull the car out , he also became stuck . 

 

 

 

We threw a line to them and Kurt pulled them right out together . Good job Kurt !

 

Another photo stop

 

 

It was beginning to look familiar now

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We returned to Stanley about 3 pm and drove past a number of the sites like this whale gun and skeleton

 

 

We had about an hour before the last tender and wanted to walk a little so we thanked Kurt for a job well done and  said goodbye .

 

 

Christ Church Cathedral

 

 

and it's whalebone arch

 

 

We wanted to have a pint and some fish and chips but we didn't think that we would have time

 

 

We did pick up a few things for the grandsons and didn't realize that we gave Pounds Sterling and received Falkland Islands Pounds as change

 

 

You can see that Christ Church , King penguins and sheep appear on the currency

 

 

Both denominations photos are the same fore and aft but the color is different

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

As we went to the loading area we noticed another boarding area behind ours

 

 

 

 

 

 

They we heading out to the Resolute

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

This will be our  ride 

 

 

Back on board 

 

 

A couple of RAF Typhoons made their presence felt

 

 

 

The last tender got back around 5:30 PM

 

 

And we soon followed the Resolute out to sea

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Here come the sun in Puerto Madryn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video clip :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Puerto Madryn

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

They had a ramp next to the pier for us to descend

 

 

Our guide Max met us at the small building on the pier and gave us a map . We were headed South to Punta Tombo .

 

 

We needed to walk to the end of the pier where the van was . It's a long walk ! We made a beeline for the park about 2 hours away and only stopped for a couple wildlife photos

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

They had a nice , large restroom at the park and a small museum at the entrance .

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we were here for the penguins 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

At Punto Tombo there are gravel paths and walkways that lead down toward the ocean

 

 

we wanted to move down quickly before the busses arrived 

 

 

 

in addition to penguins you can also see guanaco

 

 

as I was taking a photo my wife called my name

 

 

I took some still shots

 

 

 

and she got the video :

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

It was sure nice seeing the chulengo reunited with it's family

 

 

 

It was also nice to see the penguins with  so many chicks 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seemed like the chicks were hungry and let you know it

 

 

 

 

[Trend]

If you don’t mind me asking what company did you use to get Max your guide and would you recommend them.

[scubacruiserx2]

7 minutes ago, Trend said:

If you don’t mind me asking what company did you use to get Max your guide and would you recommend them.

 

We used Max from Sentir Patagonia . As a side bar , we went with a small group on another tour but not this one . When we went in 2013 , 2 members of our small group caused us to leave late because they were eating breakfast . We got behind several buses for a restroom stop and at the penguin site . So this time the 2 of us passed on the small group trip instead going by ourselves . As it turned out , the other group had a transportation issue that kept them from going to Punto Tumbo .