Where We Be
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| This one waddled straight towards me (I had to back up) |
| Before our plunge, we had the chance to get acquainted with all the adorable gentoo penguins at Paradise Bay |
| As we pulled away in the zodiac, we could see the crowd gathered around as people continued to go in. Note the two penguins watching the show! In the end, over half the cruise passengers did the plunge! |
| This fellow was lucky enough to have actual penguins leaping behind him as he did his plunge! |
| Towels at the ready |
| Holding hands helped since we couldn't feel our feet! |
| Don't think -- just do it! |
| Antarctica -- Polar Plunge! |
| We had no idea we'd even get to do a polar plunge as part of our "budget" Antarctica cruise. We hadn't even brought swimsuits! |
| Zodiacs (like the one at left) let you see massive icebergs at "ground level" |
| We spied a few whales spouting in the distance as we headed back to the ship |
| Watching the penguins leap in the water and dart around like bullets underwater gave us a whole new appreciation for them |
| This picture makes me chilly just looking at it |
| The snow-burdened mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula are truly gorgeous to see in person |
| Even earlier in the day, we went for a zodiac cruise around beautiful Andvord Bay. The aft window in our cabin gave us a great view of the zodiacs being unloaded. |
| Paradise Bay is aptly named |
| We also saw this massive Weddell seal |
| We tried to get closer to a fur seal, but the snow was so soft our guide fell through up to her hip, losing her boot. Her fellow guide helped her dig it out. |
| Zodiac Cruise of Andvord Bay |
Our polar plunge was an iffy thing right up to
the last minute due to biting winds and heavy
sea ice in the bay -- but eventually we got the
go-ahead to proceed. Zodiacs brought us to the
rocky beach at Paradise Bay. Robin and I were
in the very first group to go in, along with a Ger-
man guy and a Canadian woman. We stripped
out of our clothing until we were wearing just
our “swimsuits” (e.g., boxers with zip-off
shorts). Rubber mats were laid out to get us
into the water, but that only got us knee deep.
A crowd of our fellow passengers watched and
woo-hooed as the four of us went in. Beyond
the mats we had to keep walking over the rocks
until we were about hip deep. Then the German
guy pounded his chest and plunged into the
water first -- followed by Robin and me, who
plunged in together on the count of three. We
just turned off our brains and did it, and boy
was it cold! But we went all the way in before
bursting straight back up and out. It wasn’t
elegant or pretty, but we did it. Personally, I
think the hardest part was having to wade into
the icy-cold water before doing the plunge itself.
the last minute due to biting winds and heavy
sea ice in the bay -- but eventually we got the
go-ahead to proceed. Zodiacs brought us to the
rocky beach at Paradise Bay. Robin and I were
in the very first group to go in, along with a Ger-
man guy and a Canadian woman. We stripped
out of our clothing until we were wearing just
our “swimsuits” (e.g., boxers with zip-off
shorts). Rubber mats were laid out to get us
into the water, but that only got us knee deep.
A crowd of our fellow passengers watched and
woo-hooed as the four of us went in. Beyond
the mats we had to keep walking over the rocks
until we were about hip deep. Then the German
guy pounded his chest and plunged into the
water first -- followed by Robin and me, who
plunged in together on the count of three. We
just turned off our brains and did it, and boy
was it cold! But we went all the way in before
bursting straight back up and out. It wasn’t
elegant or pretty, but we did it. Personally, I
think the hardest part was having to wade into
the icy-cold water before doing the plunge itself.
| [Insert various swear words here] |
| Thank God that's over. Now let's watch others do it. |
| Nothing like a dip in Antarctic waters to put a smile on your face |
| And this fellow did his "plunge" in slo-mo (very Zen) |
| And this one nibbled at the Antarctic equivalent of a snow cone |
| Paradise Bay |