First Impressions of ANTARCTICA! (our 7th continent)

We are in a boat in Antarctica with the Family of Hope heroes.

He's right in front of her boat.

We're Karen Nate. We've been traveling full time for the last four years. And after visiting 100 countries and six of the world's seven continents, two days ago we boarded a ship in Ushuaia and experienced a surprisingly peaceful journey across the Drake Passage to finally reach our seventh continent of Antarctica.

Oh, wow. It's already really hot.

Yeah, I'm warm. Let's open the door.

So we just got word that because we made such good time across the Drake, we are actually going to get to step foot on land for the first time tonight. It wasn't supposed to be till tomorrow, but it's only 7pm here in Antarctica. The sun doesn't set to like 10 or 11 these days, so we're going out.

You're walking like I always picture a pregnant person to walk.

My baby.

Here we go. I'm warm.

Disinfecting the boots. Hello. Yay. Here we go.

Let's go.

It's not warm.

I see big ones.

We're here.

We have just stepped foot on our first Antarctic rocks on Robert Island. They're penguins, they're seals and whale bones.

That is the jawbone of a whale.

We're only here for an hour. There's an hour more than we we thought we would be here. So we can see as much as possible.

He is literally using a rock like a pillow.

They're very aware that we're here, but they don't seem to care whatsoever.

So funny. They're so awkward on land, but then as soon as they get in the water, they're so graceful and they just roll around like, ah. Like it feels so good. They're having so much.

Well, that was the fastest hour of my entire life. Wow is the only word I can think of.

It is a good thing. We have 10 more days with this.

Good morning, everyone. It's seven o' clock on Tuesday 18th February and we're here sailing in an extremely calm entrance to the Weddell Sea. Got some fantastic icebergs on the horizon, some large tabulas as well as giant blocks of ice.

Good morning. From the Antarctic Islands. That is one thing I never thought I would say. We've spent the last two days cruising across the Drake Passage, so this is our first morning waking up with land in sight. And I've set my alarm much earlier than usual so I could just spend an hour before breakfast staring out the window and watching this unfamiliar world go by.

It's incredible. Our ship has just entered the Weddell Sea and we are surrounded by huge icebergs. What a way to start the morning.

I'm sweating.

We are about to get off the ship for three hours and it is so intimidating trying to decide what to wear in Antarctica. So I've pretty much put on my entire suitcase. Let's go.

Our first stop of the day is at a place called Paulette island, which is famous for its dark history. There was a ship in 1903 called the Antarctic. It was actually crushed in the ice right off the shore of this island. But the reason we're here today is because a colony of Adelie penguins lives on this island. And they are so cute.

So all the penguins that are left on this island are young penguins and they're going through a process called fledging right now, which is where they're losing their fluffy baby feathers and gaining their adult feathers. But it's really funny because they're at this, this weird in between stage where they still have some of their fuzzy feathers left. And so some of them have mohawks or afros and they're all super uncoordinated. We're basically witnessing these penguins in their awkward teen.

So after the Antarctic wrecked, 20 men survived the entire winter in this little stone hut behind me. Absolutely insane. Now it's just a playground for the penguins.

So we are currently attempting to make our way down a mountain that is full of slippery penguin poop. Every year, over a hundred thousand penguins come and nest on this island. And so it's kind of like the ground has just been covered in this, this pinkish gray cream cheese like substance.

It kind of looks like it would be the consistency of mud, but it is so slippery and so stinky. You're just surrounded by Porta potty smell.

Slightly fishy urine.

Ah, this fresh and dry hair. Lovely.

There's an entire flock of penguins sprinting towards us right now.

Trying to take.

As little penguin poop back to our room as possible. We jumped in the Zodiacs to head back to the ship. But while circling around the icebergs, we witnessed something very unexpected.

No way.

Oh.

Oh, my gosh.

Did we just get to do that?

That was crazy.

We're watching a giant leopard seal jump up on the ice to try to eat a penguin. Oh.

This is crazy.

And they're just out of his reach, but he's trying every way that he can to jump up and grab him. He just keeps trying.

This heel like leaps up and then it just slides back down. Oh, they're trying to run away.

That is insane. This is not something you get to see.

Really.

Oh. Oh. We almost got him. That dog.

Whoa.

Look, he's right. He's literally spinning right under. So he's going to come up right here. He's coming up.

He's trying to see the penguins.

That is so nice.

I felt like I was living in a national geographic tv show.

We are currently cruising through the Antarctic Sound, and we've just come up on the biggest iceberg that we've seen yet. It's like the size of a small island. Like, if you told me that was land, I would believe you.

Honestly, for some reason, this is what I had pictured in my head of what all of Antarctica would look like. I figured when you got to the continent, it was just going to be these huge white walls of ice. I did not expect these. These big brown mountains jutting up out of the ocean.

No matter how many mornings we wake up on the ship, waking up, looking out the window and seeing something like this will never get old.

Wow.

This place is incredible. We've been up for 30 minutes. We woke up right next to an iceberg. I went downstairs to eat breakfast. Couldn't even finish my breakfast because now there's a family of humpback whales between our boat and the iceberg. I've never seen a whale do something like this. Normally, I just feel like they're there and then they're gone because they're diving down and doing all that. These are just, like, floating on top, hanging out, blowing. So incredible.

The fact that I'm out in the freezing cold before I finish my coffee says a lot. It is awesome. I'm wide awake.

So last night, our ship made its way back to the entrance of the Weddell Sea. And this morning, we are about to jump on the Zodiacs and go cruising through this massive sea ice in hopes of spotting a few more wells. Just seeing those first two up close to the boat gave me a whole new appreciation for just how massive they are. I can't imagine sitting side by side with one of those in our. In our tiny Zodiac.

We are now in the water with the whales. Oh, my gosh. They're having their breakfast.

They're so loud.

There's a whole family of them.

This is the coolest. Did you see a slipper? I cannot believe my eyes. This place.

No way. We're so close.

This is incredible. I can't take my eyes off him. We just saw his giant tail come out of the water for the first time. Oh, My God.

Wow.

The noises that they made, that was special.

It's kind of eerie when something the size of the school bus goes underwater just 50 meters away from your boat.

Because it feels like it.

Any second.

They're just showing off. This is incredible. It's like they're dancing voice.

What just happened?

I'm actually crying right now. I don't know if it's the cold wind.

They're so beautiful. It doesn't even seem.

They had the entire Southern ocean, and they chose to spend an hour just hanging out with us showing off. You just. There's no way to appreciate the size of those beautiful animals through the camera. The only way to do it is to be right up next to them in a boat that's half their size. We've pulled back to give them space, and they're, like, chasing alongside their boats. They're just having fun hanging out.

I didn't know you could do this. Don't stay together.

Spread out, because I think I can talk. We have just purposely run aground on a piece of sea ice. So there's nothing but water, both frozen and solid, between here and the bottom of the ocean that is 1200ft below.

So I feel like this has broken off of something at some point, which means it could break again.

Oh, what a morning. Seriously, if we turned the boat around and drove back to Argentina right now, it was totally worth coming. Yes.

I've been disappointed. That was the most magical boat ride of my life.

Oh, your cheek is so cold.

Your face felt so cold.

It was crazy how mental cold is, because while we were watching the whales didn't think about it for a single second. As soon as they were gone, I was like, oh, my fingers hurt so bad. Oh, that was the best.

I really don't care to put on so much clothes. I'm too full.

Oh, I'm full.

And warm. Boots. Ow.

Those are heavy. And you dropped it on my toe bone.

Probably should have peed before I started piling on the clothes.

Trapped.

Dang it.

I'm going out with my boots on.

And he found this little group that was clumped up on top of this iceberg.

Not a seal, not a still. It's just a piece of an iceberg. That's how it's going to get me.

I spot a Nate.

A real live Nate. Hey, Nate. Nate, Nate, Nate, Nate.

You know what I really have the urge to do right now?

That's what I felt like I needed to do. On the sea ice. That's where all the seals hang out.

They're making a snow angel. You make a.

That's a seal angel.

Sam.