Neko Harbour

Neko Harbour looks wonderful as we arrive. There has been heavy snow overnight and it is just as you would expect Antarctica to look.
We have six South African swimmers on board who are ice swimmers and are planning a world record swim. They have been stopped by the weather up till now but three will make an attempt today.

 

The entire ship is covered in snow.Hope we will not need this lifeboat this morning!

 

 

The swimmers set out on the swim. One made it! Later they will have the polar plunge. Given that one of these elite swimmers went into cardiac arrest we will not join them in the plunge.

In the zodiacs we get very close to the wildlife.This humpback joined us this morning

A leopard seal sleeping on an ice flow. They are feared by all.

The scenery is magnificent. You can face any direction and take a photo. With the snow cover and the black rock the photos seem to be in B & W and not colour!

Even in the roughest conditions the zodiac drivers find calm spots. Simply beautiful.

Ashore we climb to the top and are rewarded with the most wonderful views over Neko harbour. You get an idea of scale by our ship in the background.
The wildlife is pleantiful and the Gentoos are playful

Back down near the beach with the ship, the ice and a few penguins.

The view from the zodiac

Do you know why the ice is pink?

The icy shoreline. At times the zodiacs became stuck in the ice.

Neko was one of our favourite places in the Antarctic