Population Antarctica: 4,400 (during summer). Average number of people per square km – 0.004 (India – 380, China – 150, New Zealand – 15).
Antarctica, one of the seven continents of the world, is not that easy to visit. The continent is located at the bottom of the world, surrounded by mountainous seas battered by strong winds. Being a polar region, Antarctica is covered by ice with many hidden deep crevasses. The other thing that sets this land apart from all other parts of the world, is that it is generally thought not to belong to any one, although seven countries lay claim to the territory and many more maintain a presence in the Antarctic. The first explorers sailed in the waters off Cape Horn at the bottom of South America in the 1500s, however it was only in the 1800s that Antarctica was first officially sighted. At this time, there were well established whaling and sealing stations on islands in the Southern Ocean. Several countries laid claim to parts of Antarctica and emphasized their claim to sovereignty by having a physical presence and this was achieved by establishing bases and research stations. During the 1950s matters were formalized. The nations of the world with vested interest were able to reach an agreement that Antarctica would in the interest of all mankind continue for ever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Ushuaia is located at the southern tip of South America in the Tierra del Fuego province of Argentina. This is where the Andes mountains disappears into the sea. Tierra del Fuego comprises a group of islands and is separated from the rest of South America by the Strait of Magellan. Half of the group of islands are located within Chile and the remainder in Argentina. The boundary between the two countries is such that one needs to travel in and out of Chile in order to reach Ushuaia. This of course means the dreaded border crossings.
Ushuaia is the main port for travel to Antarctica, mainly because it is the closest city on the planet to Antarctica. Ushuaia has a population of about 300,000. Argentina established a penal colony at this location during the late 1800s to re-enforce its sovereignty over the region. The convicts built the prison, which was substantially enlarged during the following years. Conditions were harsh and today the prison has been turned into a most interesting Prison museum, Maritime museum and other exhibitions. The museum gives a very well documented insight into life in Ushuaia during the late 19th and early 20th century.
Much has changed in Ushuaia since its early days. The city is a thriving mecca for tourists, mainly those with the intent of travelling to Antarctica. The season for travel to Antarctica is of course during the summer months, November to March, exactly the time when we were in the area and we managed to secure a cabin on a vessel departing within a couple of days of our arrival in Ushuaia. Typically, longer expeditions travel via the Falklands Islands and South Georgia on its way to the Antarctic peninsula, whilst shorter excursions sail directly to the Antarctic peninsula and spend four or more days exploring the area. We chose the latter. In order to reach Antarctica, the ship needs to traverse the infamous 1,000km Drakes Passage between Cape Horn at the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. The region is battered by strong westerly winds, which whip up the dangerous sea swell. We sailed through a raging storm during our two-day crossings of Drake’s Passage and sea sickness became an unwelcome companion. Cape Horn is the point where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. Sailing in these waters can be especially hazardous due to strong winds, high waves, strong currents and icebergs and has become a ships graveyard during the past centuries.
We sailed on the 101m long Ocean Adventurer that can accommodate 132 passengers. We were treated like kings by the more than 80 staff and our Antarctic experience was maximised by the 20 onboard guides and specialists (photographic, geological, ornithology and much more). The experts gave numerous very informative talks relating to Antarctic exploration and wildlife. The expedition vessel includes Zodiac rubber boats to take visitors on daily excursions to the Antarctic peninsula and several islands along the route. Some excursions were targeted at cruising among icebergs, smaller blocks of ice and along the towering toe of glaciers. The other neat thing was that the ship maintains an open Bridge policy. This allowed us an excellent view of the passage from the Bridge, and especially intriguing was to watch the very experienced Captain and his officers nimbly manoeuvre the ship past icebergs and extended floating ice. Compacted glacial ice is solid, and although the vessel has a specially strengthened hull, one would not want to crash your way through this ice field.
One of the traditional activities whilst sailing in the polar regions is the Polar Plunge. Those brave enough, leap from the ship into the sub-zero polar waters. Most of these brave souls spent the minimum amount of time in the water. As soon as they hit the water, survival instincts kicked in and the frozen mind had only one idea and that was to get out of the water by any means in the shortest possible time. This is good entertainment for the on-lookers.
The South Shetland Islands lie just to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula and partly forms a barrier against the rough seas in the Drake’s Passage. More than 80% of the South Shetland islands are covered by ice and snow. Huge icebergs occur in the Bransfield Strait along the South Shetland islands. The waters in this area are rich in krill and other sea life at the bottom of the food chain. This draws numerous bird and animal species to the area. Summer only lasts a few short months from November to March and the birds and animals take advantage of this time to reproduce and raise their young. The Blue-eyed Shags were very busy building nests on low sea cliffs. The main nest building material is sea weed and sea grass which they collect from near the shore. A few humpback whales showed up, some showing their tail before they dive, a spectacular sight. The humpback whales were hunted to near extinction until this practice was banned. The whales feed in Antarctic waters on the shrimp-like krill during the summer months and migrate northwards to warmer climates during winter to breed.
Travelling further south, we reach Antarctic mainland. Walking on this continent was on everybody’s wish list. This continent has never been inhabited by man, colonized or developed to any significant degree. It is difficult to reach this place and therefore visitor numbers are low. This is an inhospitable place and virtually the entire continent is covered by ice, and it is said that the average thickness is a staggering 2.4km. Having said that, strangely this continent is also the driest of all continents. Apparently large parts of the interior have virtually no precipitation. Snow is blown to the interior from areas closer to the shoreline where precipitation is relatively high. Scientists are able to determine the age of the ice by examining the carbon dioxide trapped in the ice. Ice dating back 800,000 years have been found by drilling down into the thick layers of ice.
Travelling across the ice is fraught with dangers. The chilling cold and biting wind is only half the problem. Movement of the ice has led to the formation of a very large number of deep crevasses – cracks in the ice. Some may be more than 100m deep and some are very wide. Many are covered by snow and cannot be seen. The accounts of the Antarctic explorers makes for very interesting and inspiring reading.
Ice from the continent is continuously moving downslope towards the coast. During the summer months, once the frozen ocean around Antarctica has melted, the numerous glaciers “calve” huge blocks of glacial ice which are carried away by wind and sea currents. These icebergs are carved into fantastic shapes and markings by sun melt and wave action. Occasionally one of these giants would topple over when natural melting and erosion of the parts underwater has made the iceberg top-heavy and unstable. The compacted glacial ice has a beautiful blue colour when it is freshly broken and changes with the light, be it overcast or sunny. There is a lot of floating ice in every direction, a thing of beauty and wonder.
Penguins, especially Chinstrap and Gentoo are found in very large numbers on the Antarctic peninsula and the nearby islands. Many thousands of breeding pairs come ashore during early summer to breed. During November, as the snow and ice starts to melt and expose the native rock, the penguins start the breeding season by building their nests and laying eggs. Nests are constructed using pebbles and stones and is a source of entertainment for the onlooker. Some penguins would rather steal pebbles from a nearby nest, than doing it the hard way and collecting fresh pebbles. These thieves act during daylight hours and the aim is to grab a pebble without getting a nasty bite from the brooding penguin defending it’s nest. The penguins have no fear of man and as a result, one can get up close to these comical birds and enjoy their antics. There is constant traffic of penguins arriving from the sea and making their way along the penguin highways to the nesting site, or making trips back to the ocean to feed.
Dozens of research stations had been established by the 1960s on Antarctica. In 1961 the Antarctic Treaty came into force. According to the treaty, Antarctica is set aside as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent. Many of the established bases have been abandoned, and this included whaling stations, research bases and transit bases that were no longer required because of technological advancements. Fortunately, several of these have been preserved and are maintained by heritage organizations. This adds an additional dimension for the Antarctica visitor as it gives a glimpse of what life would have been like in this frozen place some 60 or more years ago. On the one hand facilities seemed surprisingly comfortable, however one would probably have a very different view after spending a couple of months in this confined space during the cold dark winter months. We visited two such bases, the small British hut at Damoy Point and the small British station at Port Lockroy. Both have been preserved and gives an excellent impression of daily life in this wilderness. Port Lockroy also includes a British run postal service, which means that one can post an article from Antarctica to anywhere in the world, however with no guarantees of speed of service.
All too soon the expedition vessel needs to head back across the dreaded Drake’s Passage and back to Ushuaia. Actually, having made one crossing of the Drake’s Passage earlier, and knowing what to expect, makes the second crossing much easier to manage.
