Antarctic Island Trip Series (Part 3): Weddell Sea and Emperor Penguins
"Ah! So this isn't a king penguin!"
credit: wildernesstravel.com
While single-island itineraries to Antarctica primarily focus on the western side, some voyages explore the eastern Weddell Sea each year. This region boasts a rich ecosystem, including emperor penguin chicks, humpback whales, and Weddell seals, as well as magnificent tabular icebergs. The region is also closely associated with the renowned adventurer Sir William Shackleton and his ship, the HMS Endurance.
Where is this magical area where you can see emperor penguin babies without going deep into the South Pole?
1. About the Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is named after British navigator James Weddell, who, during his 1823 expedition, successfully reached the 74th parallel south of the Arctic Circle. The Weddell seal, a seal species of the same name found along the coast of Antarctica, is also associated with this navigator.
credit: chimuadventures.com
As you can see from the image above, the Weddell Sea is located to the right of the Antarctic Peninsula. Especially the area south of Elephant Island is frozen year-round.
credit: antarcticatravelcentre.com
Even in the warmer, more northerly regions, tabular icebergs abound. These icebergs are also the most dangerous part of this sea. In summer, these undulating icebergs resemble towering walls, forcing cruise ships to squeeze through them, a real test of the captain's skill.
2. Emperor Penguin Itinerary Selection in the Weddell Sea
The most alluring aspect of a Weddell Sea itinerary is the opportunity to encounter emperor penguins face to face. Currently, only four shipping companies offer this type of itinerary. Below, we'll introduce two categories based on transportation options:
1. Helicopter
Shipping companies that use this method：Oceanwide, Quark, Scenic
Emperor Penguin Destination: Snow Hill Island
advantage: The price is relatively economical
shortcoming：May not be able to land smoothly due to weather conditions
After entering the Weddell Sea, take a helicopter to Snow Hill Island, home to approximately 2,000 to 10,000 pairs of emperor penguins (and their chicks). The one-way flight takes approximately 20 minutes, followed by a 45-minute walk to the colony, where you'll enjoy approximately 1.5 hours of precious time together. The length of this time depends on the maximum passenger capacity of the helicopter and cruise ship. Furthermore, to protect the emperor penguins, the social distance between visitors and the birds has been increased from the standard 5 meters to 30 meters.
Of the three shipping companies, Oceanwide is undoubtedly the most affordable and experienced. It has scheduled itineraries to Snow Hill Island from 2012 to 2019, and again in 2022. Although it only successfully landed in 2013, excluding the two-year suspension during the pandemic, it has a 100% success rate in the four quarters since 2017 (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022).
Quark's cruise ship will also reduce passenger capacity from 199 to 150 for this itinerary, improving efficiency in getting to and from Snow Hill Island. Scenic will also offer a helicopter tour of Snow Hill Island as an additional activity, priced at US$1,750 per person. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
2. Icebreaker
Shipping companies that use this method：Ponant
advantage: The price is relatively economical
shortcoming：May not arrive smoothly due to weather factors
Want to spend more time with emperor penguins without being restricted by helicopter passenger capacity?
Unlike the three aforementioned cruise companies, which rely on helicopters to transport passengers to Snow Hill Island for a chance to see emperor penguins, Ponant operates the Le Commandant Charcot, the only icebreaker-class vessel currently in Antarctica. Therefore, for example, on last November's itinerary, the captain sailed directly to Snow Hill Island, allowing passengers to walk there. Furthermore, leveraging the advantages of an icebreaker, last year's expedition leader even arranged a second visit to Snow Hill Island on the return trip, at the request of passengers, allowing them to enjoy the bliss of being surrounded by emperor penguins.
3. Weddell Sea itinerary features
Next, let’s talk about the highlights of the Weddell Sea itinerary.
1. Emperor Penguin
credit: science.org
These gray cuties are mistaken for emperor penguins by readers several times a month. They grow up to be the largest penguins on Earth and are found only in Antarctica.
It is not easy to see them on a normal single-island trip. They can only be seen in coastal areas during a trip to the Weddell Sea in November each year. In 2022, scientists discovered 61 new emperor penguin colonies on the Antarctic continent following the excrement of emperor penguins.
credit: maritime-executive.com
Snow Hill Island, located north of the Antarctic continent, is the northernmost breeding ground for emperor penguins. This is why the annual Weddell Sea Emperor Penguin Hunting Tour takes place here in November. The number of emperor penguin pairs seen in this area ranges from 2,000 to 10,000.
credit: wildlifesustainablelifestyle.com
Emperor penguins are the only penguin species that breed during the Antarctic winter. The diagram above illustrates the life cycle of an emperor penguin, as follows:
January to March: Feeding season
April: Heading to the breeding grounds
May: Mating season
June to July: Incubation period (male penguins take care of the eggs while female penguins go out to forage for food.)
August: Little penguins are born (male and female penguins swap jobs)
September to October: Male and female penguins take turns
November: Emperor penguin chicks begin to grow gray feathers
December: Returns to sea and the breeding cycle begins again.
Therefore, if you want to see these little grey cuties, November is the best time.
2. Tabular Iceberg
The most stunning sight for tourists in the Weddell Sea is the massive, wall-like icebergs. These icebergs, carried by the ocean currents, present numerous challenges for captains in maneuvering their ships.
In recent years, there has been an internet celebrity iceberg, A68 (as shown in the picture below), which was born from the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea in 2017.
credit: bbc.com
The Larsen Ice Shelf is so huge that it can be divided into three areas: A, B, and C. A68 was formed by the collapse of area A.
Just how massive is A68? Its area is larger than 21 Taipei cities. Therefore, when it turned one year old and began drifting northward on ocean currents toward South Georgia Island, scientists were deeply concerned for the penguins and seals. They calculated that if A68 remained stuck on South Georgia Island, such a massive object would take at least 10 years to melt. Not to mention the impact on the surrounding environment of the millions of tons of freshwater released by A68's melt, if the penguin and seal chicks' parents were unable to return home in time to care for them, it could lead to a tragedy for the animal ecosystem.
Fortunately, by the end of the story, A68 had already split into three smaller units—A, B, and C—before reaching South Georgia Island. Assuming there would be no impact, the onlookers dispersed.
In April 2021, the internet celebrity Bingberg passed away.
Just one year after A68 left us, NASA photographed the incredibly square flowing iceberg in the Larsen C area as shown above.
(credit: nasa.gov)
3. Sir Shackleton and the Endurance
Besides the emperor penguins, another recent event that has brought the Weddell Sea back to prominence is the news that the Endurance, once aboard the renowned explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton a century ago, was rediscovered by scientists in March 2022 at a depth of 3,008 meters. The Endurance's destruction also spurred the historic 1,300-kilometer rescue mission. For related stories, please refer to this previous article:How did people travel to Antarctica 100 years ago?
In summary, whether you are attracted by the cute figure of emperor penguin babies or the magnificent flat icebergs, the charm of the Weddell Sea is worth experiencing and witnessing with your own eyes.
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