Blogs from South Georgia, South America

Sunday – Tuesday 10-12 February: DAYS 9-11 / AT SEA – TOWARDS ANTARCTICA Weather and ice dictated our crossing of the Scotia Sea from South Georgia to Antarctica. As with all of One Ocean’s itinerary planning, the Expedition Leader and Captain continually made decisions based on the sea and ice conditions at the time. Our luck continued. Yes, the seas were very slightly choppier and yes, one morning there was flurries of snow in the morning, but blue skies prevailed by lunch time. During these days at sea, we had presentations from our highly skilled professionals on the history of Ernest Shackleton, birds of the Antarctic, how pinnipeds feed (eg Elephant seals), identification of whales, cartography expeditions, If looks could Krill: Southern Ocean Food Web with Matt Allen, Shackleton’s Captain (movie) and Penguin Presentation. We even ... read more

5. Stromness & Fortuna Bay We were going to be woken at 6.00am for those who wanted to do a 4 hour trek which was part of the path that Ernest Shackleton took from Furtuna Bay to Stromness Bay on the east coast of the country. The path continued to King Haakon Bay on the west coast of St Georgia. Unfortunately, there was cloud covering the mountain so the impact of the walk would have been minimal and the swell in the ocean was too great for the launching of the zodiacs as Furtuna was more exposed than Stromness Bay. The One Ocean team always had plan B and that was to sail to the more protected Stromness Bay. After a 7.30am breakfast, we all got into zodiacs (10 per zodiac) and landed at the Stromness ... read more

Monday/Tuesday 4/5 February - DAYS 3-4 / AT SEA – TOWARDS SOUTH GEORGIA We charted a south-easterly course bound for South Georgia. The seabirds once again joined us in the Southern Ocean. The weather was mild (7.5 C degrees) with a slight swell which was affecting some of the passengers. However, through the on-board doctor, seasick patches became very popular. Our educational presentations continue and were always popular. History is a key theme of this voyage and the epic story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the HMS Endurance expedition is central to any trip to South Georgia. We also had a presentation on whales in the area. I also picked up some valuable tips from the onboard photographic guide, learning about image composition, the subtle polar light and all the basics of good camera craft. We ... read more

“Above all else we wish that the name of South Georgia will forever represent an icy paradise, a place where nature is still mostly robust and the way of life of millions of birds ,and seals goes on almost unaltered by the peripheral presence of humans. A clean, pure spring of icy water in our collective consciousness, a soothing, refreshing balm amid the upheavals wrought upon the earth. A special place to cherish.” Tim & Pauline Carr. Paradise is a term we typically use to mean peace, quiet, relaxation or perfection… I think paradise is a hostile place - a place where we cannot live as mere humans - which is why it is a paradise. This paradise has a fluctuating equilibrium. Balance is chaos - and everything we do in efforts of conservation has neither ... read more

The next two days we were at sea and again the weather gods smiled on us although Ruth was a little sea sick, all we did was eat, sleep and attend lectures. Eventually we arrived in Elsehul Bay our first landing in South Georgia where we boarded a zodiac to go ashore. Here we encountered our first King Penguins, Elephant Seals and Antarctica Fur Seals as well as various seabirds including the carrion eating Skua. I had seen Elephant Seals from a distance in New Zealand but was unprepared for the sheer size of the males at close quarters. The King Penguins here were a bit ragged as they were molting, this affects their capability to swim and hunt which means they are hungry and miserable. At this site we also witnessed Elephant Seals mating and ... read more