Day 6 – written on Day 7
The WordPress site still will not load my writing…so another email version of the blog it is:)
Hi all – What an adventure we are having. Being in Antarctica just gets better and better. Below is a post from Day 6 – January 1st, 2024!
It’s the new year – and what better way to start the new year with an ANTARTIC PLUNGE. Yes, it’s true – I, along with about 156 out of 200 participants plunged into the Weddell sea! When it was announced the night before that tomorrow would be plunge many guests were a buzz…and everyone was asking each other “Are you jumping in?” Many people tried to convince Obi but he laugher it off and decided to be my videographer instead – and he did a great job. So, the plunge, here is how it works. It began at 10 am (or shortly after). We are called again to the mud room by our assigned animal groups – two friends we met on the boat were also jumping and so the three of us ladies decided to meet when my group was called so that we could “walk the plank” together. At 10 am we suit up and down our bathrobes. I decided to keep my hat and neck gator on with sneakers and socks so that while I waited on Deck 7 with Obi who had a clear view of the gangway I would not freeze. The water temperature was 1 degree C, 33.8 degree F – yowzah – that’s cold! The air temperature was 0 degrees Celsius. When the jumpers line up we walk down to the gangway with our robes still on. I was so excited. We had a woman behind us – clearly very nervous and talking up a storm. She said her heart rate was beating so fast – which she could tell on her fit bit. I wasn’t nervous at all – I do well in the cold climate and can tolerate extremes. So I was just eager. Before I went down for my assigned group I watched about 20 minutes with Obi. It was hysterical watching the jumpers. I loved the variety in plunge styles. At each gangway (of which there are two) there is a zodiac with a driver and a professional photographer. The photographer is assigned to take your picture before you jump. As a result almost all of the plungers jump facing the photographer and do a silly pose like legs up and arms out. There were lots of yells and hoots – lot’s of “wow, that’s cold!” We could hear it all so clearly many decks above. The scenery was spectacular (yesterday and today) the sun has been shining so brightly – with blue skies. It’s a bit unreal and apparently uncharacteristic for this area. So…having the sun beaming down helped a bit with the cold water and air. Some jumpers slipped at the edge of the gangway and had funny looking entries (they got a second chance if they wanted). I decided I wanted to dive in – arms and head first – forget the silly picture – I wanted some distance from the gangway so that I could swim back (enjoying a bit of an extended time in the water). Many folks jumped right in and before they surfaced it was if they were already on the ladder being pulled up. I should say we have a belt on our waist attached to a rope which is tied to the boat and controlled by a guide. If you can’t swim they provide life vests. My two friends went first – both with a bikini so some breasts might have been exposed – lol – all in good fun and made for some hysterical stories. After you plunge you are offered a shot of Vodka. So, when it was my turn I unrobbed, belted up and walked the plank. I waved at the photographer and then turned to face Obi high above so he could capture my dive. And, in I went – I dove far and felt the rush immediately. Your body starts to notice something is different almost before your brain can process what is happening. When I surfaced I shot my arms up with glee. Given my technique, I had put some distance between myself and the boat so I took two breast strokes back to the boat dunking my head under with each one. I really wanted to be in the moment – so that I could process what was happening. Ha, by the second stroke I could feel my hands shutting down. They were immediately not as responsive as typical, my lungs were constricted, my face was tingling and my feet seemed to question me when I told them to move forward and push up on the ladder. It was SO COLD. It’s the type of cold that you can feel in every single pore of your body. Even the space between your toes feels numb. LOL. What a rush of endorphins though – I was alive – so alive. I declined the vodka as I had more than enough of an internal kick. I would do that every day if I could. I really would. I enjoy so much pushing y physical limits and seeing just how far I can go. The was a total Franimal moment.
After I found Obi on deck he showed me his video and a woman down below took a video of me diving from the gangway. I will include these videos in the phot album which I share out upon my return. Obis seemed very proud of me, and apparently some folks watching me near by Obi commented on how far I dove and you can hear Obi saying, “That’s my wife.” He and I celebrated a moment, but I could not stop shaking, my body was so cold from the inside out. I along with many like minded folks headed straight to the sauna. Ahh…warmth. Everyone was talking about their plunge and sharing stories. I sat back and listened – laughing along.
The second excursion of the day was visiting a site with mummified seals. Unusual right? Yes, we are most likely the only tourist/excursion group ever to visit this site. On the island called Seymoar Island there is a historical site with about 13 – 25 seals (official number is unknown). Mummified?… how you may ask. A combination of low temperatures and low precipitation combined with strong winds actually caused the seals to be preserved in a mummified state. A group of scientists wrote a paper explaining the discovery and cause. In short, this island was once mostly fully covered by the ocean. A group of seals found their way to one side of the island but due to shifting ice were trapped. In order to get free, the seals decided to traverse across the land – to the ocean. Unfortunately, they reached a major cliff drop. About 13 seals decided to jump down and died upon impact the others seemed to have noticed this behavior was not advantageous and decided to stay put. These less adventurous seals eventually froze to death. Without eating (their stomachs were empty according to the autopsy conducted on a few bodies from the scientist) to keep warm, their internal temperatures dropped significantly, as a result they froze. What would have been a better death, slow freezing or a death drop? I could not help but wonder. Given the mumification effect the animals are preserved – you can go up closely and still see the fur and bones. These seals are about 300 – 500 years old so their bodies were torn open and faces broken off but the seal’s body structure like back, stomach and flippers were visible. They looked rubbery and hard at the same time. There were seals of all sizes and pups. While this is not the typical Antarctic sight you may imagine, visiting a place hardly anyone has ever seen felt important – along with learning about the history of this moment in time for this particular group of animals.
Our dinner that night was an outdoor BBQ – on the back deck with the sun beaming down. But, don’t think we were wearing shorts and tank tops – we were heavily layered and by the time I walked from the veggie curry station to my table, the food was cold! The nan bread froze, I pretended it was an Antarctica specialty, cold toast. The true highlight of the evening was the sunset. Given the beautiful temperatures we had all day – the sky was like a Monet painting. Pastel blues and yellows, mixed with soft pink and reds. All blending together with a foreground of tabular icebergs, a background of mountains and glaciers and so much glorious sea ice shapes bobbing to and from in the Weddell sea. Many folks went to bed, but I simply could not leave the upper deck – the view was mind boggling. And suddenly there is a huge buzz on deck 8, an Emperor Penguin was spotted all alone on an ice floe less than a quarter of a mile out. O.M.G. This is crazy! These penguins are not typically in this area at all – and to see one alone was unusual (slightly troubling) but non the less, it’s the wild out here and these things happen. It was walking on the ice. Given it’s distance, it was hard to see any typical orange and blue coloring on the bird, but it’s height and gait were dead giveaways. The expedition leader made an announcement on the PA system and folks who had already tucked in bed came crawling out. We were all trying to take pictures and those with mega zooms were showing others what our cameras or the naked eye could not see. I might have gone to bed dreaming about penguins at sunset:)
Now, do you see what I mean – is this place wild or what?! All of this just in one day – and on new years day! I have a good feeling this will be a great year.
Love, Franziska
ps. I hope you are all doing well in your respective worlds and finding ways to have your own adventures.
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