Like a rehabilitated Captain Ahab, Daniel Zitterbart led his scientists into the sort of supranatural stillness only Antarctica can deliver. I followed them in an inflatable Zodiac, cold snapping at my fingers, squinting at glossy icebergs fissured with stilton-blue veins, heading towards the spouts of vapour we could see suspended in Paradise Harbour’s frigid dawn. There she blows, as Captain Ahab would say.
Next to brash ice that glinted like rough-cut diamonds, two distant dark lines revealed themselves to be slumbering humpback whales, fat from gorging krill. Forty tonnes of rorqual, happily recovering since the 1986 ban on commercial whaling, before which they were slaughtered to near extinction by Ahab’s ilk.
There was no harpoon in Daniel’s hand, just a hi-tech $10,000 whale tag on a long carbon-fibre pole. His Zodiac manoeuvred alongside and he leaned out and slapped one of the humpbacks with the suction-cupped device (it would release after several hours). The whale started, arched and then dived, rocking the Zodiac as it went.
“It can be a little bit terrifying,” Daniel admitted later, “when these giant creatures are beneath your flimsy boat.”
Yet all went smoothly. Over the next few hours the scientists followed the tagged humpback around the ice-choked Southern Ocean bay on a quest to learn more about these secretive denizens of the deep.
ON A MISSION
Having previously visited Antarctica, I vowed I’d only return if I had a greater purpose. As demand grows (COVID-19 aside), the number of cruises heading to this pristine wilderness is projected to increase. Can Antarctica sustain higher levels of tourism? I wasn’t sure.
This story is from the May/June 2021 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May/June 2021 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Vermont, USA
The Wanderlust team relocated to New England for part of this issue, as we explored a lush state filled with outdoor escapes, historic towns... and lashings of maple syrup
Unique North America
See a side to the USA and Canada beyond the big cities and discover incredible stories and special wildlife with our pick of the trips
The call of the Rockies
From historic ski lodges to rustic backcountry cabins and a mock-Scottish castle, we pick the stays in Canada's Rocky Mountains that make the most of their setting
A new dawn for the Garifuna community
When the Garifuna people settled in Belize, they had to carry their traditions and culture with them; now a new trail is inviting visitors to explore this heritage through local communities
On the edge of history
In south-west Colorado lies the largest archaeological preserve in the USA, a series of vast cliff dwellings whose residents 'vanished' overnight. But was the answer to their disappearance in plain sight?
Tigers burning bright
As India celebrates 50 years of its Project Tiger conservation scheme, we visit the reserves of Madhya Pradesh to see how its success has impacted a tiger population that once looked in danger of disappearing
SEASON'S GREETINGS
From fiery fall foliage to art fairs and harvest festivals, opens up a wealth of across the USA and Canada autumn experiences
Waking a sleeping GIANT
A slow drive along the North Wales Way, from the English border to Anglesey, reveals not only a land of incredible local food and castles, but a region that is slowly reimagining itself
The rebirth of old JEDDAH
As efforts to restore Al-Balad, Jeddah's historical district, take hold, we get an exclusive peek at how art and culture are taking centre stage
Star-studded escapes
Wilderness, history and wildlife combine at some of Britain's most iconic stargazing sites, as more and more travellers are looking to the heavens
