During lunch the ship repositioned to Wilhelmina Bay and anchored. The bay is known for whales in the summer months, so they decided to dispatch the zodiacs. Unfortunately this time our group was the last to leave the vessel so we had to kick our heels watching the whales from the decks while we waited to be called. Eventually we boarded and Claire, our driver, speedily took us off into the distance in search of whales feeding. Each pair of zodiac teams went in different directions not knowing if, or what, we will see. But apparently Will, the driver of our buddy zodiac, was a bit of a whale magnet (not the whale magnet you are thinking of, Gary!).
He proved to be exactly that. After a few minutes of searching we found a pod of three very happy humpbacks. What surprised me most was that we got up real close – so much so that you got sprayed by their “blow mist” – at times they were a mere 10m away. Considering these were about 14m mammals that is pretty darn close. 
We saw how they ‘bubble net’ the krill by swimming in circles and blowing bubbles to keep the krill in a group, before closing in with mouths open and scooping everything from the centre. An incredible sight and we just couldn’t get enough of them.
After a while, the mist had made the Sea Adventurer invisible – we were clearly a few miles from the vessel following various groups of feeding families. Not far from us, obviously happy after his meal, a humpback breached and smashed his tail and pectoral fins on the surface. Amazing!
By the time we got back we were cold but buzzing. We were just about to get changed and warmed up when an announcement came over the PA: “The wind has dropped and this looks like a good place to take a swim. This is not a joke. If you would like to join us on the port side in 10 minutes, we are going to have an Antarctic swim – the Polar Plunge!”
Before the announcement was even done, I had my board shorts on. Adrie was so cold from this afternoon’s boat ride she took a little more convincing. But let’s face it – the only real debate was what she was going to wear. Surprisingly there were quite a few volunteers keen to take the plunge.
We were given a tether and Adrie and I decided to make the jump together. I think she was thinking that if she went in first that I might chicken out. That was never going to happen so on the count of three we leapt…
Oh my %$*&!
The water was only about 0 degrees but even though you know it will be cold, it still shocks you to the core. Unsurprisingly, the swim – or rather dip – was brief. In her haste to get out, Adrie almost pulled one of the helpers in with her. A shot of vodka took the edge off, but the feeling afterwards was amazing! It was like mainlining adrenaline and suddenly you didn’t feel cold at all. In fact, I still stood with my wet clothes on deck taking photos of other plungers for at least 10 min afterwards not feeling the cold at all. A highly recommended adventure!
By 11pm we were both knackered and ready for sleep. Another early morning call is expected if we sail the Lemaire Channel, known for its picture postcard setting. But until recently it was iced closed. The only problem is that it is still completely light outside. I think this will take some getting used to.