After our swim, we ghosted out of Antarctica Sound amidst some huge tabular icebergs. Since we are (just barely) on the Eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, we are near the edge of the Weddell Sea, which is mostly frozen over. I believe this starts with sea ice, and then snow builds up and compresses in a glacier-like way, creating an “ice shelf” that is flat like a table. In the Spring and summer, large chunks of the “table” break off to form these “tabular” (table-like) icebergs.
Did I say large? The sizes actually range from large to huge to gargantuan to mammoth. According to Wikipedia, the largest iceberg on record was an Antarctic tabular iceberg of over 12,000 sq mi, 208 miles long and 60 miles wide, and they can reach up to 550 feet out of the water. And keep in mind, only a little more than 10% is above the surface.
Here's a shot of one that we went past. I believe it was about ¼ mile long, and not that far from where we swam:
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