According to the film "march of the penguins", Emperor penguins walk up to 70km onto the ice, so that their chicks can grow without risk of falling through the

According to the film "march of the penguins", Emperor penguins walk up to 70km onto the ice, so that their chicks can grow without risk of falling through the melting ice. But by the time they are independent, the ice has melted nearly to the nesting ground, so I guess it is still "near the coast" in a sense.