Pygoscelis papua

Location

Location

The Gentoo Penguin is the most abundant pinguin species in the sub-Arctic area. At average the Gentoo Penguin reaches a length of about 80 centimeters and a weight of around 5 kg. Each animal has a white band on its head, reaching from one eye to the other. The beak is bright orange. This penguin is the fastest swimmer of its kind. It can reach a speed of around 36 km/h.

The breeding colonies seldom consist of more than a hundred pairs. When the group starts growing too big it will split into two. A pair of Gentoo Penguins will lay two eggs.

Location

As the Aleksey Maryshev sails from Ushuaia (Argentina), the southernmost city of our world, towards the Antarctica, I recall images I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard about the Drake Passage, famed for its roughest seas on Earth.

The Antarctic continent is the last continent many people would think of when planning a dive trip. Its cold harsh conditions don’t sound too appealing for the average holiday diver. For other divers going to Antarctica is a dream come true. The dive sites are almost unexplored. There is a lot that you could possibly see during a trip to this coldest continent. Penguins, ice bergs, fur seals, leopard seals, ice fishes are just waiting for you. We had the opportunity to visit this incredible part of the world. What we experienced this trip was more than we ever could have imagined.