August 1, 2026 — 12:00am
It’s difficult to think of penguins as violent. And yet, from my position in a double sea kayak between two Antarctic islands, I’m witnessing a full-blown penguin dust-up. Above us on the rocks, two gentoo penguins are flippering, slapping and scrapping in a way that looks like it might end badly.
Finally, they simmer down, and our kayak group slides forward. We’re winding through a fantasy landscape straight out of a Dr Seuss picture book; an iceberg graveyard, where powder-blue ice shapes, artfully sculpted by the elements, remain trapped until they wither. The sea is glassy, reflecting mountain tops draped in a moving shawl of cloud. We pause for a moment of silence; motionless in a place so surreal that it’s difficult to process.
It’s one of countless pinch-me moments on the 12-day Highlights of Antarctica cruise with HX Expeditions. The journey onboard MS Roald Amundsen had promised spectacular scenery and wildlife delights, but it is the collective mood, the enthusiastic high of the passengers, that fills this trip with joy.
Turns out, there’s science in this phenomenon. Psychologists have long known that when people are pushed beyond their comfort zone, physically or mentally, and they succeed, the experience delivers a strong emotional pay-off. There’s the relief of having conquered something difficult, but when the experience exceeds expectations, there is a dopamine-triggered uplift.
