Foundation Academy fifth-grader explores the wild of Antarctica

As Emery Marks sat on a Zodiac boat, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

Dressed in a big orange puffer parka, she was surrounded by icebergs three times the size of the 150-passenger boat that brought her to Antarctica and bigger than homes and buildings she’s seen in Winter Garden. The arctic breeze blew all around her. 

Marks, a fifth-grader at Foundation Academy, said she felt small watching these monstrous icebergs float around her. 

She watched an Adélie penguin waddle down some rocks. 

Without hesitation, splash!

The penguin belly-flopped into the water, making a loud sound and splash as it hit the water and making everyone aboard the boat laugh. 

“It didn’t feel real; it felt like a movie almost,” Marks said. “We’re sitting, and you’re just watching these big icebergs float by. … It felt like you were part of the wild.”

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For 10 days in December on a National Geographic Antarctica expedition cruise, Marks, along with her parents and grandmother, explored the arctic, seeing countless penguins, seals and whales while hiking, kayaking and participating in other adventures. 

Marks only has ever seen penguins, seals and whales at a zoo or SeaWorld, so being able to see them in their natural habitat was surreal, she said. 

While in the Zodiac boat and looking at the land, Marks said it appeared to just be rocks, but after peering into binoculars, she saw penguins everywhere. There were too many to count. 

“Every day, no matter where you are, you’re going to see penguins,” Marks said. 

Marks learned every penguin has its own personality, including the belly-flopping Adélie penguin. That penguin’s water stunts made Adélie penguins Marks’ favorite because they’re goofy, she said. 

“They’re like teenagers,” she said.  “They kind of peck at the moms, and they get in trouble a lot. One will run to one place and then run to another place.” 

On the fourth day of the cruise, everyone received a 5 a.m. wake-up call just because there were orca whales in sight. 

Marks said her dad started calling her the whale spotter because she always was pointing them out. She spotted at least four humpback whales. They also saw orca whales. Marks sat by the window on the boat to keep an eye out for whales and saw one after another. 

Throughout the cruise, Marks also saw leopard seals and two other types of seals. 

“There was this one leopard seal that yawned, and I’ve never seen a mouth or teeth that big and sharp,” she said. “It was this big, giant yawn.”

As avid hikers, the Marks family did not hesitate to try the strenuous hikes offered on the expedition cruise, but due to size issues with the boots making the hike even more difficult, they only did a strenuous hike once. 

But that one hike was one to remember. 

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Her balance and strength were tested as she and her fellow adventurers were instructed to touch as little of the environment as possible so as not to disturb the natural habitat. As she was hiking, she couldn’t put her hands down or grab onto rocks. It was all personal strength and determination. 

On top of a mountain, it was a sight like no other. 

She stood with her knees bent and in a position so she wouldn’t blow over as the strong arctic breeze whizzed past her. When she turned one way, she saw icebergs. Turned another way, more icebergs. There were millions off in the distance as far as the eye could see. 

Although she was at the bottom of the world literally, she felt on top of the world in front of her. 

On other hikes, she came across more wildlife. 

She saw the paths penguins had made in the snow called “penguin highways.” The penguins made them to allow for easier passage through the snow for the baby penguins and for easier access to water. 

Marks said it was cool to see the penguins interact with each other on the highway, especially if two penguins were coming from opposite directions. As if they were having a standoff, the penguins would wait to see who would give in and move around the other first. 

“It’s like they’ll say, ‘You may not pass,’ and stand there with their flippers out,” Marks said. “It’s super funny to see them. I could sit there all day and just watch them.”

One time walking on ice left Marks and the other expeditioners at a standstill. All because of an Adélie penguin.

When an Adélie penguin decided to plant itself in front of the group’s path, everyone had to stop and wait until the penguin decided to move. Then, two other penguins decided to follow the group, waiting behind them wanting to be a part of the group. 

Marks and her group were stuck. The group couldn’t move until the penguins did, and the penguins took their time, puzzled by the people before them. 

“We’re all standing there just watching them, waiting for them, because we can’t pass by,” Marks said. “If they just sit there for the whole day, we’re sitting there for the whole day, too.”

She said maybe 20 minutes passed before the penguin in front of them decided to go on its merry way. 

Adventures weren’t limited to land. Marks also made her way into the water. 

During one Zodiac expedition, Marks and her family participated in a polar plunge. Before jumping in the water, she had a moment of questioning why she was about to voluntarily dive into near-freezing cold water. 

“You’re standing on the Zodiac and you jump in and it’s so cold. You don’t really think about the cold. In the moment, you think about getting out, and you can’t breathe at all. … That was a crazy experience. I would have regretted it if I didn’t do it, but I don’t want to do it again.”

She was given a patch that says polar plunge to wear as a badge of pride on her parka. 

Another day, the family went kayaking. Marks recalled being in the front of the kayak using the paddle to break through the thin sheets of ice so they could make their way through the water. She described the ice breaking like the glaze on a glazed donut shattering when you bite into it. 

“You hear every crack,” Marks said. “That was my favorite, because I would reach out in front and just break through the ice.”

Throughout the cruise, Marks learned from naturalists, geologists and other scientists. 

“Who knew moss was in Antarctica?” Marks said. “I learned more about moss than I really ever had.” 

She participated in a Zodiac Kids group that met with the scientists to learn about what they did that day. One day, the marine biologists brought water from the ocean and had the kids look at it under a microscope. Marks was able to see tiny fish and microorganisms in the water. 

Marks left the cruise with a Global Explorer Certificate making her a National Geographic Global Explorer with memories to last a lifetime.