Incredible encounters with whales, off the shores of South Georgia.
As we departed South Georgia on 9 March for the long journey (two and a half days at sea) back to the Falkland Islands, we settled in for a post-lunch lecture on whales by one of the naturalists in the expedition crew. Not long after he had begun to describe the various types of whales, and the history of whaling and whale conservation, a guest near the windows shouted “whale ho!” The lecture was quickly paused and soon we were all out on deck to view and photograph the largest mammals on earth: Blue Whales. And this was just the start! Read on and check out the gallery of photos and videos.
Endpoint of Shackleton’s incredible survival story.
We arrived in Stromness on foot, crossing the green, boggy plains below Shackleton Falls to reach the shore where we rejoined our ship – aptly named Endurance, after the ship Shackleton used for his attempted trek across Antarctica. We had just hiked in his footsteps from Fortuna Bay. Read on!
Walking in the footsteps of Shackleton’s famous walk to survival.
I’ve been enthralled by the story of explorer Ernest Shackleton and his ill-fated expedition to Antarctica ever since I read the incredible story in the book Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. You can imagine, then, how exciting it was for me to be able to walk in his footsteps on the final leg of his incredible trek for survival in 1916. Read on!
On the sunny afternoon of 8 March, we stopped in St. Andrews Bay for a visit to shore. I joined a group that hiked quickly up across the vast glacial plain formed by the retreat of the Heaney Glacier… and then up onto the glacier itself. Led by Eric, a member of the expedition team who is a glaciologist, we had an opportunity to learn about the dynamics of retreating glaciers.
Arriving at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia. Heaney Glacier on right, Buxton Glacier on left.
On the way back we walked to an overlook where we had a sweeping view from the bay to the Buxton Glacier and across a massive colony of King Penguins – scientists estimate 130,000 pairs, which translates to nearly 400,000 penguins. In the photo above the shore at left is speckled white: those are penguins!
Read on and be sure to check out the gallery of photos and videos.
Shipwrecks, fur seals, and panoramic views – all on a hike above Ocean Harbour.
As the sun rose on 8 March, it painted the grassy slopes of South Georgia Island a deep golden color, and dropped a hint of a rainbow into the offshore mist. As I snapped a photo of this splendid sight, I knew we were in for an incredible day. Our first stop: Ocean Harbour, which had once been home to a sealing and whaling operation. In the bay is the derelict wreck of the three-masted ship Bayard, once a cargo ship that sailed the world from India to Fiji and from South Africa to South Georgia, but now home to hundreds of nesting shag; and an old hut, now home to visiting researchers.
View of Ocean Harbor, with the “Endurance” and the wreck of the “Bayard” – South Georgia.
We set out to hike up into the hills surrounding the bay. Read on and be sure to check out the photo gallery.
Our ship spent the sunny afternoon of 7 March in Godthul Bay. It was calm and clear, so they pulled out the kayaks and allowed us to roam (in pairs) around the bay. It was entrancing to simply park within the kelp forest and watch the fur seal pups frolicking – and they were as curious about us as we were about them! I highly encourage you to take three minutes to enjoy this video of the fur seals; for you, as for me, patience will pay off. You can almost imagine them, just like human children, daring each other to touch the kayak paddle!
A hike from Maiviken to Grytviken, and a toast to Shackleton!
Before breakfast on the misty morning of 7 March, I was among a hardy group that was shuttled via Zodiac to the shore in Maiviken, a small bay in the center of South Georgia’s eastern coastline. We sloshed our way up through the soggy hillside to the rocky height of land on the Thatcher peninsula, and down into the storied whaling village of Grytviken. This tiny settlement encapsulates, in a few small acres, every important aspect of South Georgia human history – sealers, whalers, explorers, soldiers, governors, researchers, and even tourists. Read on and check out the gallery!
As the afternoon waned on 6 March, we sailed deep into a deep fjord at the southern tip of South Georgia, its walls lined with glacier after glacier. As the glaciers have receded – all too fast, in recent years – the fjord has gotten longer, and it took an hour for us to motor slowly “upstream” to the head of the fjord, where the Risting Glacier was actively calving into the tidal bay.
Glacier near the head of Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia.
Visit the gallery for more photos and a video panorama. You’ll note one tiny iceberg, recently broken off the glacier, just large enough to allow a fur seal a spot to rest while it fished for its dinner in the frigid waters of the fjord.
A Zodiac tour gives our first glimpse of Macaroni Penguins.
After a delightful morning in Gold Harbour, on the afternoon of 6 March we stopped briefly in a tiny bay on the southeastern point of South Georgia Island – Cooper Bay. We were not able (not allowed?) to land here, so they took us out in groups to tour the bay by Zodiac. On the beach we saw a small, mixed colony of penguins – Chinstrap, King, and Gentoo – and nearby a steep, rocky hillside frequented by Macaroni Penguins.
Macaroni penguins – Cooper Bay, South Georgia.
Visit the gallery for more photos. The weather was windy and the water was choppy, and it was difficult to photograph wildlife from a bouncing boat!
A sunrise visit shows why Gold Harbour got its name.
It was 4:30am on 6 March as a hardy group of guests quietly stopped by the top-deck café, looking for coffee, tea, and pastries. The Endurance was resting calmly in the middle of Gold Harbour, so named by the early sealers because the morning’s first rays of sun tend to paint the surrounding cliffs with a golden glow. The weather was calm but a bit misty; nonetheless we soon climbed down to the bottom deck to don our waterproofs and were launching the Zodiacs by 5:30 as the horizon behind us hinted at the coming day. Each Zodiac had a lighted pillar to aid the ship in tracking us in the morning gloom; the penguins on shore seemed nonplussed by this early wake-up call.
Landing in Gold Harbour, South Georgia.
The mist later rose, leading to a spectacular morning on the beaches of Gold Harbour; after a return to the ship for a hearty breakfast, we made a second trip on which I joined a group for a hike up to the headlands – and sweeping views of the harbour, its glaciers, and tens of thousands of penguins.
King penguins – Gold Harbour, South Georgia.
Read on, and be sure to check out the two galleries of photos and videos: sunrise and hike.
David Kotz 