The whales are plentiful. Humpbacks particularly. I have read that baleen whales (blue, fin, sei, humpback, minke and southern right) spend four to six months in Antarctic waters, depending on the species. They’ll then travel to warmer waters to breed, migrating distances of over ten thousand kilometres. We might also see toothed whales, both sperm and killer, as well as bottlenose whales, whale dolphins and pilot whales.
I envy the whales, being able to dive to great depths to escape life on the surface. How I would love to leave this boat and Dmitri far above and descend into another realm—to travel the vast distances home across more forgiving seas, leaving all this behind. But I cannot do that. Not to Carlos. Not after everything else.