Capturing the Moment

 Heading to Antarctica: Chapter 1  I've made it to the beautiful Silver Cloud, my home for the next five and a half weeks. The first voyage is a big one traveling from Buenos Aires, Argentina to the Falkland Islands, on to Antarctica, and finishing in Ushuaia, Argentina. We will cross the Drake Passage twice, sail the waters of Cape Horn, visit the bottom of the world, and hopefully see lots of penguins, but let's start from the beginning.    Day 1: First line of action is getting all the paperwork cleared and then moved into the cabin. My roommate for this voyage is Patrick, the Assistant Expedition Leader, who lives in Finland but is originally from Germany. Turns out he is also one of the best fooseball players onboard. We are pretty involved in the guest checkin procedure, but end up sailing off the pier around 6:30pm. Proud Gentoo mother King Penguins!  Day 2: We spend this day at sea, cruising from Buenus Aires to Puerto Madryn, Argentina...

  At first we thought we were seeing a tall dorsal fin sticking out above the surface of the ocean. There is any number of cetacean that it could belong to, from beaked whales to false killer whales to offshore dolphin species. The Big Island of Hawaii is one of premier destinations for cetacean experts to encounter and study these rarely seen creatures. However, as we got closer we realized it was something even rarer. It was a huge dark bird floating on the water. Our captain Colin shouted, 'Black Footed Albatross.'    All but 2.5% of the black footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) population resides in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Every once in a while we spot them flying offshore. They are immediately recognizable with their 7.2ft wingspan. I had spotted a couple over the last two weeks but I was very surprised to see one resting on the water. I was even more surprised at what happened next.    I slipped on my snorkel gear and grabbed my little ...

Views along the trail Phoebe whale watching   There is a hike leading from the end of the road that is the only way to get out to Oahu's western tip called Ka'ena Point. Every winter we try to head out to see the albatross chicks as well as humpback whales and monk seals. This year's hike started off with a bang. Just as we left the car and got underway Heidi pointed just offshore to a disturbance in the water. Just then a huge mother humpback whale launched itself into a full breach, right were Heidi had pointed to! Trailblazing Albatross Nesting Area   Our good friend Phoebe joined us for this years annual trek. After the huge whale breach the mom and calf took off north, hugging the coastline. So we took off in pursuit focusing on our footing while trying not to miss the next big breach. I had my camera and long lens ready but it seemed that the mom and calf had switched to travel mode. It was all we could do to keep up with them as we speedily tackled ...

   A wilderness area surrounds the western point of the island of Oahu. To get to this point you either need an incredible 4X4 vehicle, or a solid pair of hiking shoes. Or in our case a bottle of water and some local slippas (flip flops.) This hike can be pretty hot so hats, sunscreen, and water are essential. The views and wildlife are worth a little bit of sweat. On our way to Ka'ena Point the winding trail follows the rugged coastline on one side and steep mountains on the other. Humpback whales swim offshore and it may be the best place on the island to spot the rare Hawaiian monk seal.   Once we neared the point we entered a wildlife sanctuary. A large swath of the coast has been fenced off to protect a vital breeding area for Laysan albatross ( Phoebastria immutabilis ) . These huge sea birds who can spend months at sea come to Ka'ena point to nest and raise their chicks. It was my mission to find and photograph a baby albatross. Mission completed! The fluf...