I wasn't one of the early risers, but this morning I woke up O-dark-30 ...
boy, was I happy about that!
After three days of
cruising on the Scotia Sea and 50+ Knot winds the night before, the Ocean Nova was
slowly approaching the Antarctic Peninsula in calm waters.
After a quick bridge stop, I went outside on the Bow ... and
was the only person there! It was very cool in the pre-dawn light
as I would often hear the penguins & birds before seeing them on the
passing icebergs. I was by myself for about an hour as the glow on
horizon slowly brightened - an incredibly surreal experience.
Approaching Antarctica at 3:32AM - 63 minutes before a glorious sunrise at 4:35AM
Four minutes later on the starboard side of the bow watching the calm waters
An ice floe drifts by with the rugged Antarctica landscape in the background - mouseover to see penguins
Red Glow on the horizon at 3:49AM
We slowly pass through the Antarctica waters and too many icebergs to count
3:57AM - The sky lightens up very slowly at extreme Latitudes
Argentine Esperanza Base (birthplace of first person born (1978) in Antarctica!) - mouseover image to see buildings
4:11AM - A lone penguin on this ice floe was also watching the sunrise - mouseover image to see close-up
A slightly darker exposure a minute later - the colors were amazing
4:26AM - The blue colors of the icebergs were also incredible
A bird flies by at 4:31AM - four minutes before sunrise
Wide-angle view just before sunrise - mouseover image to see eight minutes later
