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Heading North… (Written on Jan 17, 2014)   In the whiteness of the Antarctic ‘night’ Curt, Dale and Simon with support from Rob and Sam, hid Whale Song behind a huge iceberg dodging ice floes and a mobile ice fence in the horizontal snow.  The trackline on the computer is an interesting mix of squiggles […]

Of Tags and Icebergs! (Written on Jan 16, 2014)   At 1610 yesterday, a whale with a smallish dorsal fin and distinctive black/white fluke ‘Tiny Lander’ was tagged with a Russ designed Whale Lander Tag, collecting GPS data as well as yaw, pitch and roll information.  This tag is specifically designed to fall off, but […]

The Beauty of the Antarctic!  (Written on Jan 15, 2014)   The two humpback whales we sat-tagged yesterday afternoon continued to feed in their incredible synchronised style well beyond my 9pm bedtime… Knowing we had whales feeding right near the bow was part torture and part delight!  Wanting to be on deck with them was […]

Whale Krill Soup and Two Tags Away! (Written on Jan 14, 2014)   After another foggy night spent with our eyes glued to the RADARS and windows… we are thinking this is getting passé!  At the end of my watch, I feel as though my eyes are like dinner plates and I am wired with […]

Iceberg Heaven! (Written on Jan 13, 2014)   All morning patches of clear water and patches of fog brightened and obscured our view, respectively.  At the ice edge we have today plus three more days – so find more whales was todays’ motto! With 10 seconds notice from Mr. Jenner, a beautiful iceberg on our […]

Let it Snow! (Written on Jan 12, 2014)   Fog enveloped Whale Song this morning, as it has most of the previous “nights” and mornings.  Doubling personnel on our night watches, the white glow just ahead and just abeam which hides icebergs, kept Simon and I glued to the windows, looking for bergs visible on […]

DAY 11 WAVES – ADDITIONAL ISSUE   On the morning of Day 11, 09/01/2014, the WAVES team successfully deployed two specialised tags on humpback whales  “Round” and “Wobble”.  The tags are brand new, called LIMPET tags (Low Impact Minimally Percutaneous External-electronics Transmitter) and report not only geographic location but dive profile data.  This type of […]

24 Hour Research (Written on Jan, 11, 2014)   At the end of each day we have noticed around 9pm through until 1030, any encountered humpback whales become very Surface Active, surging and rolling as they lunge-feed through the swarms of krill.  Open-mouthed, they surge through the water surface in a dorsal or normal orientation.  […]

The Soft Ice Edge!  (Written on Jan 10, 2014)   I got up this morning,  when I have had enough sleep, around 0645 and began to prepare for the day ahead.  Anything could be on the cards really!  Excepting, of course, a palm tree on a tropical island and a few other impossible possibilities! In […]

TAGS AWAY! Wahoo!  (Written on Jan 09, 2014)   Wow, it has been the most amazing day!  Everyone has been busier than “one armed wall-paper hangers”.   It started yesterday… Around 9pm and just reaching the ‘P’ in my 1-2-3-S-L-E-E-P regime, Curt popped his head in our door and simply uttered “Whales”.  Dressing quickly, it […]