Lemaire Channel

Early wake up call today as the ship passed through the Lemaire channel. Very small passage that often gets blocked by ice burgs. Great scenery and the captain did well to get us through. Once on the other side we were in the ice burg graveyard. Load of ice burgs of all shapes and sizes looking fantastic in the sunrise. Diving was difficult this morning as the wind was picking up and being funnels around the hills. Spent quite a long time in the zodiac waiting for the other zodiacs to get loaded and launched due to ice by the side of the ship. Diving was around an ice burg. Camera warning system went red before going in so couldn’t take the camera. Good job as that saved me flooding in on that dive. Short dive as we were already cold before getting in and it was -1°C around the iceberg. Great dive but very difficult to you’re your buoyancy with the fresh water coming off the berg and the salt water around it. J’s inflator stuck open again which didn’t help until we disconnected it. Strange to see the white of the ice covered in what looked like clear plastic  along with sand and stone, which were trapped inside. By the time we came up the wind had picked up and the pack ice had come around the ice berg so we had to swim away from the berg to find clear water to come up. Conditions were on the limit of diving at this point and the crew were using the diver recall system to get us up. The afternoon’s landings were cancelled so we spent the time going south to 65°17.17’ degrees south. Loads of icebergs, Gentoo and Adelie penguins, fur and crab eater seal on icebergs. Few humpback whales as well. Nice to spend some time relaxing. Came back through the Lemaire channel tonight.