Every day, one of the parents guards the chicks in the burrow while the other takes the plunge in search of food. Their diet is primarily small fish, squid and crustaceans. An average fishing trip takes 16 to 18 hours. This sounds like a long time but has actually gotten shorter in the last few decades. The penguins’ feeding success has improved since 1982 when the Chilean government banned commercial fishing within a 19 mile radius around Magdalena Island.