Cuverville Island was on the agenda for the morning of our second full day in Antarctica — and when I looked outside from the balcony of our stateroom just after waking up, the weather looked amazing, with brilliant sunshine and very little wind.
Cuverville Island
The promise of both “a large colony of Gentoo penguins” and “spectacular glacial views” in describing Cuverville Island was not only fulfilled — it was also exceeded, in my opinion — and the temperature was already above freezing at 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mere words cannot describe what I saw on that morning in Antarctica.
Even the photographs do not do justice as compared to what I saw in person.
Antarctica was not the first place where I saw glaciers and icebergs — but I did see natural shapes and magnificent carvings which I had never seen before.
Look closely as we were closing in on our designated spot for landing on Cuverville Island in the zodiacs from the ship.
Guess who was ready to welcome us as hosts of Cuverville Island?
“Greetings. Welcome to our home. Can I get you some ice on the rocks? This penguin over here is my wife Sheila. She is expecting.”
“For the last time, my name is Gertrude.”
“What’s that, now?”
“My name is Gertrude. Gertrude! Wow. I hope our chicks are not as absent-minded as you.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry, Gladys.”
“GERTRUDE!!!”
“Hey, guys! Hold on. What’s going on up there?”
“Those are some human beings who purchased the option of hiking in snowshoes that are going up a snowy mountain which we would never dare to visit.”
“Hmm. I wonder why they didn’t invite me to come along with them. Did my deodorant fail again? I’d better check.”
The photograph shown above gives a better perspective as to the insignificance of the mere existence of mortal human beings in such a vast and unforgiving environment. Look at how small they are on the mountain.
“Hey! What are you doing, Celia?”
“Don’t mind me. I’m just looking at the seal-ling as I doze off.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“Sure, Woodstock. Why not? It’s a free country.”
“We are not in a country.”
“Then it’s a free continent.”
“Try telling that to the passengers on that boat over there who paid to get here.”
“Will you please be quiet and let me pretend that I am a dog named Snoopy and I am sleeping on top of my doghouse?”
Penguins tend to carve out their own “highway” systems. If a penguin “highway” crosses the path of a human being, the human being must always yield the right of way to penguins by stopping at a safe distance.
Final Boarding Call
I keep looking at the photographs and videos that I took to remind myself that I was actually in this vast and isolated wonderland known as Antarctica — especially as the weather on this day was absolutely outstanding.
Please click on this article for the complete itinerary of my expedition to Antarctica, which will periodically be updated as more articles are written…
All photographs and videos ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
