Kayaking in Antarctica at Danco Island with Penguins and Humpback Whales
Andy headed up to the Panorama Lounge early that morning. The day started with Beaked Whale sightings, followed by several humpback whales surfacing among the swells. Winds pushed close to 40 knots, and the seas bounced around enough that Zodiac cruises were cancelled for the morning. For a while we simply watched whales and waves while the ship slowly repositioned. Eventually we arrived near Danco Island, one of the classic landing sites along the Antarctic Peninsula. The plan for the afternoon involved kayaking in Antarctica.
Returning to Danco Island
This wasn’t our first visit.
We had landed here once before in January 2024, and I remembered it well. The landing included a steep snowy hike up to a gentoo penguin colony, and the colony itself left a very specific impression on me.
To put it politely, the penguins up top were not particularly clean. But Danco Island also gave us one of the best opportunities to watch active penguin highways.
Gentoo Penguin carve narrow tracks through the snow as they move between their colonies and the sea. Over time those paths become remarkably well-defined routes that the penguins follow with near total commitment. Watching long lines of penguins march steadily up and down those highways feels oddly mesmerizing, and I had looked forward to seeing them again ever since our previous visit.
Is It Kayaking… or Paddling?
When operations reopened, we had the option to go kayaking. Well… technically paddling.
Quark Expeditions doesn’t offer a traditional sea kayaking program with hard-shell kayaks, rudder pedals, and spray skirts sealed around your waist. Instead they offer what they call paddling, which uses tandem inflatable kayaks paired with standard dry suits. The boats looked lightweight, but they felt surprisingly sturdy once we got onto the water.
The original plan involved paddling first and then landing ashore to hike up to the gentoo penguin colony afterward.
Launching the Kayaks
The launch process looked almost identical to the paddleboarding excursion earlier in the trip. The main difference came down to footwear. Instead of the neoprene booties we wore for SUP, we switched to muck boots since we expected to land ashore later.
Andy sat in the back steering while I sat in the front. I had a paddle but was more of a passenger princess.
The crew loaded the kayaks into the Zodiacs and towed them closer to shore. Once we reached calmer water, the guides steadied the boats while we carefully shifted from the Zodiac into the kayak. From there, we started paddling.
Quiet Water and Gentoo Penguins
It didn’t take long to understand why so many people love kayaking in Antarctica. Without the constant hum of Zodiac engines, everything felt quieter and more immersive. The only sounds came from paddles dipping into the water, occasional calls from penguins along the shoreline, and the faint crackling of small pieces of ice bumping gently together.
We followed the coastline at a relaxed pace while watching gentoo penguins move back and forth between the colony and the sea along their well-worn highways. At one point we were surrounded by a massive raft of penguins. I had my phone in a protective sleeve, so the photos aren’t the greatest. I do have video as well, but need to sort though it all.
Then somewhere behind us we heard it. A deep, explosive exhale. Anyone who spends enough time around whales recognizes that sound instantly. We turned around just in time to see a humpback whale surface not far from the kayaks.
Humpbacks Up Close
The whale’s blow hung briefly in the cold Antarctic air before drifting away on the wind. Moments later another humpback surfaced nearby.
By then we had paddled for about an hour, and the wind had started building again, which signalled it was probably time to return to the Zodiacs, head ashore, and continue with the original landing plan.
But with the humpbacks in the area, we decided to skip the landing and board one of the zodiacs. We spent the next stretch of time drifting nearby while the whales surfaced again and again around us. Along the shoreline, the penguins carried on with their daily routines completely unimpressed by any of it.
It felt like a pretty magical way to end the afternoon.
We’re Andy and Jennifer—two former corporate executives who chose long ago to prioritise experiences over stuff while pursuing our passions for travel and photography. From the Arctic to Antarctica, and most places in between, we’ve captured the world through our lenses and love sharing those stories. Our careers gave us the means, but our purpose is inspiring others to explore and helping people create images they’re proud of.
