This morning we visited Spert Island, a craggy basalt formation surrounded by ice bergs. It was a “sporty” location with lots of ice to dodge, big swells, and a ton of wind. We saw a few chinstrap penguins but the main draw was the beautiful sea arches. I didn’t get very many good photos, hopefully Matt did. We then swang over to the leeward side of the island and got some beautiful cliffs, architectural ice, and lots of seals. We learned about black ice (clear ice) and fished some out for the bar that night. That afternoon we entered Cierva Cove, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The sea was covered in ice so thickly it felt like you could hop between the chunks all the way to shore. There is a large glacier calving constantly into the cove creating the winter wonderland conditions. While zodiac cruising the call went out, humpbacks. We went to where they were spotted and were in the middle of whale and ice amphitheatre. Everywhere we looked we could see whales, they were logging which means half sleeping and looking like logs. While in this half sleep they still swim and dive. Our guide took us in front of them and we were rewarded with a very close encounter, catching us all by surprise because she had swum past us without our knowing and came up right on the other side of the zodiac. Spectacular. After whale watching, we saw monolithic ice bergs, a leopard and crab eater seal, and of course penguins.