Pushing and pulling with hands, knees, heels, and the tips of my swim fins, I shimmy through the hole. As I plunge at last into the icy water, I look back—to a sickening sight. The hole has already begun to close behind me.
I found that first photo of the penguins very striking. It really gives you a sense of both the incredible beauty and the daunting conditions that Ballesta describes. Those penguins look so small and fragile.