What an unreal day. In the morning probably nobody would have thought that the day might have such a spectacular end. Since yesterday we were just going back and forth in the same spot and not going anywhere all day long. It was not clear at all when we would reach the shelf ice edge to supply Neumayer station with vegetables, fruit and other things.
Until 2 o’clock in the afternoon I was minding my own business, working away, and then looking out the window just by chance: lots of white, but there were a few little black dots. Penguins? Yes! Not just one but lots of them!!! In a single file they slid on their bellies over the ice. At once work was abandoned and I rushed to the work deck equipped with my camera. Amazing!!
We were no longer stuck but had rammed the ship into the ice on purpose to start the supply of Neumayer station from here by helicopters and skidoos. On the starboard side the gangway was put down, and the ice was tested for stability. When the flags showing us the safe passage onto the ice were pushed into the snow we could finally go on the long-awaited sea ice exploration. In no time numerous scientists dressed in AWI red could be seen on white background.
It was a truly fantastic moment! On the port side penguins were still passing us on their way southward, and so at first the most popular motive for the photographers was Polarstern. Only a few minutes later the first penguins came towards us from a far-away table iceberg. A wall of cameras evolved spontaneously, trying to document each single step.
And the models were not shy by any means. In a routinely manner a particularly beautiful bird posed just 3m away, patiently waiting until everybody had shot their photo. Just who was observing whom was not really obvious. And this was not the only opportunity to come into close contact with the hallmark of the Antarctic. More and more often there were mutual examinations taken with great interest, considerably minimizing the official safety distance of 15m.
Many unique still photo and and video images were generated in the following 2 hours. A bit red-nosed but exhilarated, everybody left the ice, beckoning the call of the inner clock to the dinner table, eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s day trip to Neumayer station.
Lydia Kramer, Senckenberg
Fotos: M. Schüller, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, L. Kramer