14 March 2012 Dolphins in the South Atlantic

Speed 10.4 knots (kts)
Course 152.7°
Location Drake PassageStrait, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Tierra del Fuego and the South Shetland Islands. Located about 100 mi (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula, it is 600 mi (1,000 km) wide. (-60.91732, -57.658168)
Depth 4348 m

As we left the Straits of Magellan, the seas were choppy and my stomach was definitely unhappy. I didn't throw up, but I spent a lot of time watching movies for a couple of days. However, after we crossed over into the Drake PassageStrait, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Tierra del Fuego and the South Shetland Islands. Located about 100 mi (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula, it is 600 mi (1,000 km) wide., the seas have been surprisingly calm. There was a high pressure system right in the middle of it, which means that the skies were remarkably clear and the swells have been small.

Dolphins

Below you can see the progress of the boat so far. We are getting close to the Antarctic Peninsula and should be stopping at our first scientific station tomorrow morning.

The water we are sailing through right now (the end of the red line) is known as the Drake PassageStrait, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Tierra del Fuego and the South Shetland Islands. Located about 100 mi (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula, it is 600 mi (1,000 km) wide.. While we were still in the South Atlantic Ocean (at the yellow dot), a couple of playful dolphins swam up alongside of the boat. They were Commerson's Dolphins and they are relatively small. They kept jumping out of the water and doing rolls in the air. I made a short video of what we were able to see along the port (left) side of the boat.

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Whale Bone Lander

Tomorrow, we will make our first stop in the water to pick up the whale bone lander. Two years ago, the team piled a bunch of whale bones from a recently deceased whale onto a platform. They attached weights and sunk the entire device to the bottom of the ocean. Tomorrow morning, they'll be releasing the lander from the weights and it will rise to the surface. Once the lander has been recovered, the researchers will be looking at the communities of life that have made a home on the whale bones. There will be lots of pictures and stories about it as soon as we get there.