Our Ice Landing on Antarctica

As our ship cruised into Wilhelmina Bay on the Antarctic peninsula this morning, our captain decided we have the right conditions for the unusual experience of an ice landing. The first plan was for the Octantis to cut right into the ice, creating a natural landing area for us to walk off the ship. Yes, they can really do that! We watched with fascination as the ship made its landing–it was beautiful! But the ice now had too many cracks around it to safely disembark the passengers. The captain moved the ship and made one more attempt with the same result. We pulled out and still walked on the Antarctic sea ice, but we took one of the ship’s Zodiac boats to get there. It was a very special opportunity. We were only the second group of people with Viking who ever walked on the sea ice.

The V-shaped cut into the ice and the cracks around it show where the Octantis made its entrance and then backed out.

The cracked ice and sludge next to the ship show where it entered and broke up the ice around it.

We’re looking back at the ice break where the Octantis entered and hoping for better luck on our next try.

Passengers are brought to the sea ice by the Zodiacs where they can look back at the ship and the beautiful landscape around them

We did it! We walked on Antarctic sea ice.

It was a gray and snowy day and it seemed that the landscape was all monotone. But then we travelled through the bay on one of the special operations boats. We saw the ice formations shaped like sculptures, often radiating a blue glow, some delicate, some powerful and magisterial. Enjoy this sample of natural sea sculptures.