We are starting to get into the period of the year when the colors of the ice are added to by colors of ice algae. Spots that were blue and black before are increasingly rainbow.
In the shallows the brash ice on the surface is green and brown with hints of blue poking through.
I keep saying "this is one of my favorite times of year"... and now is no exception.
We recently dove at a truly remarkable site covered in life. And when I say covered... I mean every square inch, including the bottoms of rocks! It was a first for me to look under a boulder and see a thriving community happily living entirely upside down.
Taking pictures here felt like trying to capture the essence of a Jackson Pollock painting. Where do you focus when everything in front of you is full of life? It really is incredible how much life is supported in the cold, often dark waters of the Antarctic.
On our way to a dive site, we crossed paths with some other local divers making their commute -- emperor penguins! Standing about 3 feet tall, they are unlike any bird I've seen before. It was truly surreal to see them curiously navigating across the sea ice using both their classic waddle technique, alongside tobagganing, where they slide over the sea ice on their bellies. Their demeanor was pure intrigue, and the memories of their curious looks upon us will last a lifetime.
That evening, we had the privilege of listening to one of the leading penguin experts give a talk about their work, and learned some absolutely fascinating facts:
Emperor penguins dive way deeper than you may think! The deepest recorded depth is over 560 meters or 1,800 feet!
About a quarter of all emperor penguins are in the Ross Sea, where McMurdo station is located. The number is around about 80,000 breeding pairs, or 160,000 mature adults.
To conserve oxygen while diving, they are able to slow their heart rate down to very few beats per minute. The researchers down here now are still working to understand the physiological mechanisms behind this.
Getting the chance to cross paths with such incredibly unique and adapted animals was a magical experience. As they continue on their travels, I hope their dives are filled with tasty fish and their days full with beautiful sights!