Posts Tagged ‘zodiac boat’
Another World
Two things: I’ve described the intense, stiff wind and mentioned our luck with the weather, which applies pretty much to the entirety of our visit to Iceland. The wind was strong enough when we climbed down out of that giant bus at the location of their floating dock, one of the zodiac boats full of tourists returning from the previous cruise had difficulty landing.
The driver needed to come around for a second attempt. In the moment, it didn’t give me pause about what “too much” wind for such outings might look like.
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In an instant, we were on board and speeding away toward the glacier “finger,” bouncing along on the swells the way zodiac boats do.
Suddenly, I realized it was no longer windy. We had been transported to another world that bore little resemblance to our previous vantage point.
I’m uncertain if I remember correctly, but I vaguely recall hearing the distance from the mouth of the lagoon to the edge of the glacier was about 5km. Our guide was quick to provide conversions, so the five could have been miles.
It didn’t matter. It seemed like we must have gone a hundred miles.
Without wind, the blazing sunlight warmed things considerably and rewarded us with sightings of many sunbathing seals. The overly cute aquatic mammals love the lagoon because there is a broad selection of fish to eat and no predators to worry about. Makes for a perfect recipe for photo-happy tourists.
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Our guide described the limitations of getting closer to the icebergs since they are larger beneath the surface and can roll over unexpectedly. I asked about his familiarity with the lagoon, and he pointed out it is never the same twice. Icebergs appear and disappear constantly.
While we were idling as the guide took photos of each group, a significant mass calved away and splashed into the water. It is such a bittersweet experience. I never imagined I would witness this massive power of nature firsthand, but it was such an exclamation of how dramatically this glacier –all glaciers– is/are melting.
When the wave from the calving reached the flow in the picture on the right above, the ice broke into many pieces, and the seal slid out of sight into the water like this happens all the time. It was mesmerizing to have this all occur right before our eyes.
Our guide kept moving our boat around to provide additional spectacular views. Suddenly, he stopped and bent over the side of the boat and popped up with a chunk of the glacier for us to see and hold.
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We learned about the coloring of ice and how the different bands (wavelengths) of the rainbow contained in sunlight are absorbed or reflected based on the amount of air in the ice. That chunk has had all the air compressed out of it.
The return leg of the trip back to the dock brought us back to bouncing on high waves and wrenched us out of that dream world. This was only our second day, and we had probably just experienced one of the most fantastic adventures of a lifetime.
Spending that time close to icebergs in that lagoon was truly out of this world for me.
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Glacier Lagoon
First, let me say this about coughing with congested lungs. When mucus in the airway triggers a cough that clears said airway, the feeling is truly gratifying. When the same thing happens, and coughing can’t improve the endless degree of congestion, it gets really demoralizing.
At least the antibiotics appear to be winning the battle over the infection.
When plans were being laid for our visit to Iceland, the four of us agreed on a level of adventure that suited us. We passed on snorkeling the seam of tectonic plates, exploring caves, whale watching on the high seas, or donning helmets and roping in to learn ice climbing skills.
We did decide to take a little tour around icebergs on a zodiac boat. I’m not much of a boat guy, but I figured it was an adventure I could handle. The reward was greater than I imagined.
Pulling into the parking area of the JÖKULSÁRLÓN GLACIER LAGOON, a finger of the Vatnajökull Glacier (if I have my facts straight) after a 2-hour drive on a mostly sunny day, we found the views immediately invigorating.
I had never stood this close to giant icebergs. Awe-inspiring, to say the least. We were greeted by a stiff wind that whizzed the cold from all the ice past our bodies, doubling our stiffness.
Just wandering along the shore and ogling the fascinating ice flows with the actual finger of the glacier miles away in the background would have been satisfying enough for me.
Little pieces of perfectly clear ice chunks bobbed along the shore, giving us less incentive to check out Diamond Beach, where the tide can deposit the sparkling beauties on the black sand. Those results aren’t guaranteed from day to day.
In a much-appreciated break from the wind, we retreated to our vehicle (holding the doors firmly) for a picnic lunch of sandwiches from our groceries. This became an exercise we mastered after repeated choices to eat out of the wind.
I can’t say enough about the industrious planning by Cyndie and Barb to bring an insulated bag for cold foods, additional bags for shopping, and the smarts to make wonderful selections in buying provisions. We ate superbly on our own.
As the hour arrived for our reservation on the zodiac boat adventure, we were issued fancy-looking suits that may or may not have bought us some minutes in the case of falling overboard. The floatation vest was added separately, on top.
We then boarded the massive bus-on-steroids for a short drive to the floating dock where they make quick transfers unloading previous passengers and immediately helping the next group aboard.
A quick survey by the guide reveals our group includes folks from Australia, the Netherlands, and Texas, in addition to us.
Our guide introduces himself as, “Ben” from France. The English language works relatively seamlessly for interactions but when folks are talking among themselves, I think we heard most languages of the developed world throughout our entire 10-day visit.
The adventure on the water was so spectacular, that it deserves a post all its own. Tomorrow…
I need more rest.
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Relative Something 