Antarctica
Text and images copyright Jim Urbach, all rights reserved

 
An adventurer since his youth, Sir Ernest Shackleton made the treacherous journey from the British Isles to Antarctica in the early 1900’s. In the Weddell Sea his wooden ship became trapped in ice and remained locked there for ten months until ultimately it was crushed. With little for supplies, the twenty-eight man crew was adrift on the ice floes for another five months until access to some open water allowed them to use lifeboats that had been salvaged from their wrecked ship. Upon finally reaching land, it was a desolate Elephant Island, uninhabited, and not near enough to any trade routes to assist in their rescue.

In an effort to save his men, Shackleton took a small contingent and battled eight hundred miles of rugged and relentless seas to reach South Georgia Island. The island did have a whaling station but to reach it from where he landed, he had to traverse twenty-six miles of island glaciers and mountains. Upon his successful arrival he was able to instigate a rescue effort and in the end not a single member of his crew was lost.

Shackleton died years later during another voyage to South Georgia Island and was buried there.

I love to travel, to go to new places and be adventurous. I've visited Africa four times, Alaska, nine. The idea of Antarctica was something that grew on me over a period of several years as my photographic interests began to merge with what the area had to offer. My desire was influenced by conversations with people who had visited, by some reading, and a moving PBS special on Sir Ernest Shackleton who had traveled there in the early 1900’s. This confluence of events and discussions finally convinced me to go.

Being my first trip to this part of the world, I wanted to see as much as possible. I scheduled with Zegrahm’s Expeditions to travel to Antarctica, South Georgia Island and the Falklands the last two weeks of November 2002. The expedition leaders were to be Peter Harrison and Shirley Metz, and in making my arrangements I had the opportunity to converse with Shirley. She spoke enthusiastically about her experiences as a photographer during her multitude of trips to this part of the world. It offered much more than just adorable penguins; we could also look forward to fantastic scenery, great mammals, and a truly memorable adventure.

The 110 trip participants met in Santiago, Chile for a brief one-day stopover before our morning flight to the Falklands. There, we boarded the M/S Endeavour and set sail in the early evening for South Georgia Island (SGI). It was only after boarding the vessel did I learn the trip was oriented to follow the footsteps of Sir Ernest Shackleton but in reverse. Knowing this and following Shackleton’s path gave even more meaning to the trip for me, as I had been so touched by his amazing story.

The one-and-a-half days of sea travel to SGI were occupied with lectures on whales, birds, Antarctic weather, geology, and movies on Shackleton. Throughout the voyage, giant petrels, wandering and black-browed albatross and pintado petrels followed the ship, providing me with constant opportunities for flight photos.

Shore excursions and landings were made from zodiac boats. Our first landing was at the old whaling station, Grytviken, where we visited Shackleton’s grave and where we were able to photograph fur seals. Later that day, we landed at St. Andrews Bay and made our way through a herd of huge elephant seals to the tens-of-thousands of king penguins in a colony there.

Adelie Penguin taken on Gourdin Island.

Other SGI landings included Stromness Bay, where we trudged inland and upward about a mile in a snow storm to photograph at a nesting gentoo penguin colony. The sun came out when the storm abated and I was presented with some fantastic opportunities for scenic shots. A landing at Hercules Bay included a steep climb up snow and rocks to photograph macaroni penguins.

At Prion Island we were able to get within fifteen feet of wandering albatross and juveniles but the day was shrouded in a constant drizzle. We also landed at Right Whale Bay where there was another king penguin colony but the weather was even worse.

The next two-and-a-half days were spent navigating the South Scotia Sea toward Antarctica. At one point winds reached fifty miles per hour and the ship tossed significantly. I did not take the half-tablet of Meclizine, a motion sickness medication, I had been depending upon throughout the trip soon enough and paid the price.

En route we arrived at Point Wild on Elephant Island where Shackleton’s men had awaited rescue. The zodiac boats maneuvered us around the beautiful blue icebergs and landed near chinstrap penguins.

Upon reaching Antarctica the sun shone every day. The scenery was very dramatic and I was pleased to get some images at sunset. We visited another gentoo penguin colony and those of us so inclined were able to kayak. A visit to Port Lockroy gave us more opportunities for gentoo penguins, and at Palmer Station, there were adelie penguins.

Elephant Seal on an small iceberg taken from a zodiac.

Leaving Antarctica, we stopped at a chinstrap penguin colony on Deception Island. We hiked through the colony, up over the spine of the island and down into the caldera in the center where we met up with the ship. The views were stunning, and I was able to shoot brown skuas and pintado petrels up close.

Our return to the Falklands took two and a half days through the South Scotia Sea. Landings at Barren Island and George Island brought us close to elephant seals, magellanic penguins, common snipes, giant petrels nesting, magellanic oystercatchers, patagonia crested ducks, and dolphin gulls. The next day we flew back to Santiago, then onto home. The entire trip took over three weeks, including travel time, but despite the extended periods at sea, time seemed to have gone by so quickly.

The cruise allowed me to explore and appreciate an entirely new world. Despite some awfully inclement weather at times, this trip was absolutely rewarding and exceeded all photographic possibilities I could have dreamt of. Would I do it again? Absolutely!

 

In Hindsight - The Photographic Voyage

King Penguin and Oakum boy

When planning my trip I had to carefully consider when to go. Most group excursions go in the November timeframe, when I did, or around the turn of the new year. This is summer in the southern hemisphere. Earlier trips are likely to experience residual snow on the ground with cleaner foregrounds for wildlife images. Penguins will be nesting with eggs, but seeing young is unlikely with the exception of the “oakum boys”: adolescent king penguins with brown feathers at St. Andrews Bay. In January the chicks will be hatched but surrounding snow is less likely.

A pre-Antarctica trip to Pantagonia was offered but this entailed another five days away from home and I declined the opportunity. Traveling to Antarctica in addition to SGI and the Falklands added a tedious five full days of ocean travel. This did allow me the opportunity to photograph birds in flight; however, it was often in foul weather. While the ship was cruising through the narrow passages in Antarctica I noted many unusual patterns in the ship’s wake and took many images of these telescopic extractions. Each of these patterns was unique. Despite the added time I was glad to have made the trip to Antarctica and enjoyed the best weather of the entire journey there.

I counted on Meclyzine motion sickness medication to keep the rough crossing from making me miserable. Throughout the trip I had to be flexible for great variations in the weather and possible changes in the itinerary. I didn’t find the need for a heavy coat, as I layered and wore thermal underwear only once the entire trip. A reliable windbreaker and pants and gloves were key. I also wore a fleece top and jeans and found myself quite comfortable in the climate, even during the times I had to lay down on the ice to get ground-level images of penguins.

M/S Endeavour anchored in a bay at SGI. Taken from a zodiac.

For the excursions in the zodiac boat a large trash bag with drawstring provided adequate protection from the sea spray and I was able to extract my equipment from it easily for use. NEOS overshoes were necessary in the boat and during shore landings to keep my feet dry. For the slippery land conditions Get-a-Grip spikes were recommended, but I didn’t have them; they could have really helped me maintain more stable footing.

For the trip I discovered I did not need a super-telephoto, nor did I need a heavy tripod. Having two camera bodies and two flash units helped me immensely. For zodiac excursions without landings I had a 100-400 lens mounted on one body, a 28-135 on the other, and found myself prepared for most of what I encountered. From the ship a focal length of 400mm was most convenient as I was able to capture flight shots. In my cabin I was able to charge batteries, download images to my laptop, and even had the convenience of email to keep up with the outside world.

To anyone considering a trip to Antarctica, South Georgia Island, and/or the Falklands, there are plenty of resources to consult on the internet, and viewing one of the movies on Shackleton certainly adds perspective throughout the trip. I highly recommend the experience and the photographic opportunities, and look forward to the day I can visit again.

Jim Urbach originally picked up a camera to assist him in his medical career. He later became enamored with traveling for landscape and wildlife photography. Visit Jim's website at www.urbachwildlifephotography.com.

 

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