Antarctica Things to Do Tips by tiabunna

For those of you with broadband, here’s something for you to do right now. My very good VT friend Trekki has flagged to me that the “Youtube” site has a 4 minute film clip from the 1983 Japanese movie “Antarctica” (Japanese name "Nankyoku monogatari"), with a soundtrack by Vangelis. If you have a tabbed browser, here is the link.

The film is a 1983 documentary re-enactment of a problem the Japanese encountered in the late 1950s / early 1960s, when their ship was unable to reach their base at Syowa for the yearly changeover. The outgoing party were lifted out by helicopter in the face of an oncoming blizzard, and subsequent poor conditions forced the ship to leave before the incoming party could be flown in. The result was that the huskies were left on the doglines. Most died there, but some broke loose and amazingly two survived to meet the returning expedition twelve months later. Sadly, the film seems to be unobtainable now, but I’d rank it as among the best ever Antarctic films and the Vangelis sound track (which you still may be able to buy) fits perfectly. You may have seen an American 2006 remake of the film, entitled “Eight below” which I’ll admit I hated (there’s no room here for the rant).

Either way, take a few minutes to watch some genuine Antarctic film footage of huskies in the field. Then, if you have a tabbed browser, return to VT to continue looking through my page, with the Vangelis sound track running from the other tab as backround music.

Main photo: One of my photos from Mawson 1966, a dogteam on sea ice
Second photo: The same dogteam, resting in the distance under the shadow of an iceberg.

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Directions: Check the internet!

Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are ubiquitous in the Antarctic. These are the classic "penguins in dinner suits", just plain black and a white 'dress shirt' front. Except that, all too often, that white front is anything but white ... as with other penguins, their toilet habits could be described as careless :) .

Named after the wife of Admiral Dumont d'Urville, the first explorer of the East Antarctica coast in 1840 (he also named a section of the coast Adelie Land), these medium-sized penguins can be found nesting wherever there are rocky outcrops. Their "nests" are small collections of gravel, often stolen from neighbours. Others rest on sea ice or ledges of icebergs.

They are fascinating and often amusing to watch, so be prepared to take far more photos of them than you would expect. And then find yourself taking more on subsequent days!

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Address: Antarctica
Directions: Around the coastline

Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the largest of the penguin family (though millions of years ago, a now-extinct giant species was as large as humans). They live south of the Antarctic Circle and have a particularly tough life cycle, being the only animals on the surface around the coasts of Antarctica during the bitter winters. Should you have the opportunity, see the new (end 2005) film "March of the Penguins" for a good documentary on them.

Briefly, early in winter the females lay the eggs on fast sea ice, then leave them in charge of the males. The males balance the eggs on their feet and a fold of skin covers them and keeps them warm. Incubation takes about two months. The females go to sea to feed and return after the eggs hatch. At that stage, the males go to sea to continue the feeding process. In summer, when the chicks approach adolescence and begin to moult, the parents desert them - they then must learn about going to sea for themselves. (photo 1) The chicks are several years old before they breed.

What this means is that, in the summer months, adult emperor penguins are found only among the pack ice. (photo 2) But, if you are fortunate, you will see young ones moulting and preparing to go to sea. Even as immature chicks, they already are noticeably larger than Adelie penguins. The third photo shows an emperor who came wandering into the frozen harbour at Mawson during 1966

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Address: Deep Antarctica
Directions: Sea ice, but almost exclusively south of the Antarctic Circle.

Although it's easy to slip into "penguin mode" with a camera (after all the little blighters are cute, humorous, photogenic and all that) don't overlook the other interesting Antarctic birds.

Skua gulls can be found wherever there are penguins. They predate on unattended eggs and chicks of penguins and other seabirds ("boo hiss" cries from the audience). But do remember that they also have an important function - they clean up any carrion in the Antarctic. Without much decomposition because of the cold temperatures, imagine what a mess the place would become without skuas!

The skuas found in the Antarctic are MacCormick or Antarctic Skuas (Stercorarius maccormicki)- during the southern winters they roam as far north as the equator. They also are the only birds ever seen far inland in Antarctica at the South Pole and at Concordia. One of the birds in this photo had been banded by a biologist from Dumont d'Urville the previous year for further studies.

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Address: Antarctica
Directions: Anywhere coastal.

Many parts of Antarctica are rich in the history of early exploration. Remember that Antactica was first circumnavigated by Cook in 1772-1775, and not sighted until 1820. The first visits were ship-based by explorers or whalers, and not until 1898 did a small party led by Carsten Borchgrevink winter over (at Cape Adare). World War 1 brought an end to the 'Heroic age' of exploration, which lasted until 1916 with the rescue of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and, often overlooked, the subsequent rescue of that expedition's Eastern Party at the Ross Sea.

If you are fortunate enough to visit an historic site (such as Mawson's Hut in the photograph), be prepared to queue if entry should be possible. It is not recommended to have crowds inside. It also is the rule to photograph but not to touch anything: it is important that any artifacts are preserved.

Mawson's Hut is at real risk of being destroyed by the extreme climatic conditions in Commonwealth Bay - some timbers have been abraded to less than half their original thickness by wind-blasted snow travelling at over 200kph. To prevent that happening, a volunteer organisation has been formed to carry out essential stabilisation works. They now have been operating with government and private support for several years. If you go here you will see their website, with recent photos and progress reports.

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Address: Many locations around the coast of Antarctica

Icebergs are fascinating, especially up close. Closer proximity seems to help bring out the incredible range of colours, from the palest of blue to deep greens, indigo and even mauve.
It's hard to believe that they consist of only frozen water, with maybe a little entrained air and occasional glacial detritus. It's even more difficult to believe that the bulk of them is hidden beneath the ocean.

Zodiacs are the ideal way to see icebergs, because of their manouevrabilty, and their resistance to damage should they bump into the ice. What's more, zipping among the icebergs is a complete adrenaline buzz.

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Did you know that not all icebergs are the same colour? Jade coloured icebergs are a rare and spectacular variety.

It seems that the jade colour results from the berg incorporating the waters of a sub-glacial stream that has refrozen - leaving no entrained air. Whatever their origin, their spectacular colour makes jade icebergs well worth looking for.

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Address: Antarctica

"Chocolate Icebergs" are maybe a little less rare than jade icebergs, but still are relatively uncommon. And, like jade icebergs, they are well worth seeking out with a camera.

They result from glaciers picking up mud and pulverised rock from the underlying ground, and entraining it into what becomes chocolate coloured ice. One day, the glacier reaches the ocean and pieces break away to form icebergs. Sometimes when they form, icebergs turn over - exposing the previous underside, possibly carrying the now chocolate coloured ice. Then it's camera time!

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Address: Antarctica

A nice, easy activity, requiring little more than the occasional click of a camera.

Provided the weather is suitable, watching the ship crunching through pack ice seems to bring out the small child in everyone! It may be most enjoyable from the ship's bows, but it can be done in somewhat more comfort from the bridge (see separate tip).

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How about the 'Big City' skyline in the accompanying photo? No, we're still in Antarctica, and any cities are far away.

What this shows is a mirage of a distant iceberg, distorted into towering forms by temperature inversions. The distant icebergs to the right also appear to be 'floating' in the sky. The phenomena is called a Mirage Fata Morgana and it's reasonably common in the polar regions when strong temperature inversions form over cold surfaces.

In the early days of Antarctic exploration, there were many reported sightings of land which, later, proved to be illusory: it is probable that these sightings were caused by mirages. Yes, if you travel to the Antarctic, there's a good chance you'll see them too - keep an eye out late on calm nights.

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Address: Antarctica
Directions: Whenever it's calm and temperature inversions develop