Humpback whales at Neko Harbor

Sunday, January 26th, was set to be our last day of excursions in Antarctica before returning across the Drake Passage. Over the previous four days on the continent, we had experienced and accomplished a lot, and we intended to make the most of this fifth day. Thanks to the captain and expedition leader being in harmony and identifying favorable weather conditions with sunshine and low winds, we could maximize our excursion time. We were truly fortunate. Not many can boast of enjoying great weather in Antarctica 😁.

After seeing many whales from a distance, we finally had close contact with 4 to 5 humpback whales in Neko Harbor. Late in our Zodiac cruise, they announced their presence!

This was the closest we got to whales during the expedition. Although we had seen orcas and humpback whales before, it was from the ship's deck. Those previous sightings were incredible, yet they didn't allow us to sense the immense power of these animals. (Some previous siting photos below)

And back to the grand finale of the close encounter. This group of whales was very active this morning, and we got the best glimpse of them at the end of our cruise.

After spending so much of our excursion time navigating the icy waters and having as much whale time as possible - we had to move to get back to the ship to stick with the daily schedule. Below is a hyper-lapse video of the Zodiac ride back to the ship. Enjoy!

Kudos to our Zodiac pilot Mada, for her perseverance in finding the whales this morning. Mada always delivered an epic Zodiac ride (and put the pedal to the metal to keep the captain's itinerary on time).