Hanusse Bay: Navigating Through Ice Fields

The morning began with the ship navigating through expansive ice fields in Hanusse Bay. Our vessel, a Polar Class 6 ship, is specifically designed for these conditions. They can operate year-round in medium first-year ice (sea ice from one winter 70 – 120 cm thick) during summer/autumn, allowing us to safely travel through areas that would be inaccessible to standard vessels.

From a distance, the ice field appeared solid, almost like land, but our ship glided through effortlessly. The crew explained that during the colder months, the ice is more solid, requiring the ship to plow through it. On other voyages, guests sometimes even got the chance to disembark from the ship and walk on the ice.

For us, the ice simply bounced off the hull as we moved forward. There was something deeply calming about watching the pieces of ice gently deflect from the ship’s reinforced exterior. We were also lucky enough to see a whale in the distance with our binoculars.

One of the crew members, who serves as the expedition photographer, captured the scene with a drone and shared the spectacular aerial views with us, offering a perspective of our ship sailing through the vast white expanse.

One of the ship’s photographers captured the journey with a drone, offering us a new perspective on the icy expanse. The images highlighted the contrast between the deep blue sea and the scattered ice formations, a view only possible in such a remote part of the world.

Polar Plunge and Minke Whale Sighting

After navigating the ice field, we were invited to take part in a long-standing tradition – the polar plunge. This involves jumping into the near-freezing Antarctic waters, which are even colder than typical freshwater due to the lower freezing point of salt water. The crew encouraged participation, and assured everyone that while the initial shock is substantial, the aftermath leaves you feeling “like a million bucks” due to the rush of endorphins and increased circulation. Watching people do the plunge, we could see all sorts of different reactions as they came out of the water, ranging from shivering to excitement – and they were all proud of having completed this Antarctic rite of passage. There were even instances where when a couple jumped into the water, they’d fight for who’d be first to get out of the freezing water, hinting at the brain’s mechanisms in the struggle for survival. Later that evening there was a lecture on the benefits of cold, like positive changes in blood pressure, heart rate, heart function or mood, but these claims are shaky at best. They even mentioned an extreme athlete Wim Hof, who tried swimming from one ice hole to another – he didn’t succeed, but when he got out of the water, his eyes were frozen.

At some point, a whale appeared, and the people not doing the plunge all shifted their gaze to observe the whale. It decided to come greet us – I suppose it was curious at all the commotion and wanted to see what was going on.

The curious whale swam around our vessel, seeming fully aware of our presence. It almost appeared to be performing for us, surfacing in different places, and waving to us with its flipper and tail.

Detaille Island: Base W

Upon landing at Detaille Island, we were greeted by several Weddell seals lounging along the shore. It’s so cool that everywhere we go, we can encounter wildlife in their natural habitats.

On the island, we encountered a single chinstrap penguin, named for the distinctive black stripe under their chins, and they’re also a species we hadn’t yet seen on our expedition.

Detaille Island is home to a former British Antarctic Survey station, known as Base W. Established in 1956, this research station was in operation until 1959, when difficult ice conditions forced its rapid abandonment. Today, the base serves as a time capsule of Antarctic exploration in the 1950s, with items including scientific equipment, food tins, and personal effects still visible inside.

As we walked around the island, we encountered a penguin blocking our path. We couldn’t walk past it because of the 5 metre rule, and the snow around it was too deep. So all we could do was wait for it to leave, and it exhibited a cat-like behaviour where it knew we were trying to pass and stayed there to block us on purpose.

A few Adélie penguins were also present, leading to an interesting interaction. I wondered how these they would interact with each other. Eventually, the lone chinstrap penguin found itself approached by several Adélies. Rather than hostility, they seemed to acknowledge each other, even appearing to socialize.

The more I watched the penguins, the more I found them entertaining. They had such a carefree attitude – hopping across the ice, waddling around in their messy orange-stained colony, and occasionally flopping onto their bellies to slide across the snow. Some stood curiously observing us, while others squabbled over pebbles or leapt between the small icebergs near the shore. There was something amusing about how they went about their day, completely unbothered by the world around them.

Overall, I’ve been amazed at how the expedition crew have been able to plan out itineraries that keep one-upping the experiences of the day before. But it makes sense – they come out to Antarctica week after week, so I’m sure they know many other spots that wouldn’t fit in our itinerary either.

I was totally sold on this meal even before I went to Iceland. The part of this meal that I was most excited for was the puffin and the minke whale! I had never eaten them before! Puffin is supposed to have a bit of a fishy taste to it, but since it was smoked, that taste wasn’t very strong. It doesn’t really have a distinct flavour and was a bit chewy. It tastes a bit like minke whale, and minke whale tastes like really chewy red meat – without the strong flavours like beef, and not that fishy. The lobster tails were also amazing. I didn’t even know lobsters can be this tiny, or maybe it was a crayfish that was lost in translation?

Oh and it’s true what people say about Iceland being really windy. I was told to open a car door slowly and to hold on tight as I open it to prevent the damage to the car door from swinging wide open from the wind.

Another place I went was Cafe Loki, just outside the Hallgrimskirkja. Everything tastes like what you’d expect, EXCEPT the thing in the middle. That is Hákarl, whcih is fermetted shark meat. Some people say it’s rotten shark.

This isn’t shark fin like what Chinese people like to eat, but this is actual shark meat. It’s a bit chewy and has a slightly sour flavour to it. Would not eat again.

After the meal, I checked out the Hallgrimskirkja. It’s a church, but the architecture on the outside is quite unique! It isn’t like the old baroque/gothic/etc style churches in a lot of parts of Europe.

I got to try some craft beers as well. They were pretty good – not better or worse than the craft beers I’m used to drinking. I do live in Seattle, so that might speak highly of Icelandic craft beers!

As a little bonus, I saw a guy get his ass kicked at the bar. Story was that the guy who got his ass kicked was being creepy towards some women and was asked to leave, but instead attacked the employee who happened to train in MMA…

That concludes my trip to Iceland! Photos here.