The little emperor penguin chicks were about to do something very brave. They were going to take their very first swim.
In a video from National Geographic, you can see these fluffy baby penguins standing at the edge of a tall cliff. They look over at the water below, feeling both scared and excited. There are almost 700 chicks gathered together, their hearts racing.
Suddenly, one tiny penguin takes a deep breath and jumps off the cliff. Splash! The little chick pops up in the water, shaking its feathers and swimming away with a joyful wiggle.
This special moment happened in Atka Bay, where the ice meets the ocean. The video was taken by a man named Bertie Gregory, who camped near the penguins for two months. He was amazed to see these chicks take such a big leap.
“Every day I hoped to see something new,” Bertie said. And he did! Normally, baby penguins jump from small pieces of ice that are just a little high. But this time, the little ones found themselves at a big 50-foot cliff.
Bertie noticed the chicks gathering at the edge, ready to jump. “One by one, they took their first swim,” he said, his eyes shining with excitement.
It was a big jump, and the water below had floating ice chunks, like hard rocks. But these brave little penguins were strong. They fell and splashed into the ocean, and instead of sinking, they surfaced, chirping with delight, “Look at me! I can swim!”
This moment was so special, as these chicks were experiencing their first swim ever. “I was so surprised that they were not just okay, but having fun,” Bertie said, smiling.
The magic of this event will be shared in the documentary “Secrets of the Penguins,” coming to National Geographic and Disney+ on Earth Day 2025. The world will get to see how brave these little penguins are as they start their journey in the big ocean.
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