As we gaze out from our sea kayaks, we are surrounded by blue water and ice as far as the eye can see. The harbor is calm, aside from the occasional burst of a breaching whale. Icebergs float silently nearby, almost motionless, yet we know that at any point one could break apart and roll (crrrrrassh!). An iceberg breaks apart barely 50 meters away and a chunk of ice the size of a small truck crashes into the sea. Luckily, we weren’t too close. In the distance, ancient ice flows come off the nearby mountain ranges that make up the great Antarctic continent. (Did you know that Antarctica is the size of the U.S. and Mexico combined?). Sunlight dazzles on the white ice, creating a blinding glow. The ice flows from the continent end here, ploughing into the ocean and crashing into the icy depths.
One of the most noticeable things about Antarctica is the lack of human presence. As we look out from our ship, there is only ocean, ice and rock. No buildings, no people, no signs of human life. In a few remote spots of Antarctica there are some human dwellings, but these are generally only built for part-time occupancy (i.e. to be lived in during the summer months or when completing short-term scientific research). Conditions down here are simply too harsh to support normal human life.
