At Sea Toward Falklands Islands, 12/5/2021, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
The day began with views of sea birds and open ocean. The National Geographic Explorer sailed all day, headed for the Falklands Islands. We all spent the day watching albatross and other sea birds dance on the wind. There were presentations and time to catch up on editing photos. By the end of the day we were anchored off the coast of Bleaker Island.
Explorers Club Member, Polar Expedition Diver, Naturalist, and Historian, Adam Maire is dedicated to exploring around the globe with a goal of researching, documenting, and teaching others about the beauty, the power and the importance of the earth's...
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Today we awoke to a gorgeous sunrise here in South Georgia, and the day only got better. We got to visit the largest king penguin colony on the island at St. Andrews. In the afternoon, we relocated to Ocean Harbor where we got the chance to stretch our legs and hike around the old whaling site. It was another perfect day exploring South Georgia.
South Georgia on my mind. It has been on our minds for some time now, and this morning we finally set foot on the island that is David Attenborough’s favorite place on Earth. And it sure lives up to its reputation. At least 25,000 pairs of king penguins met us as we landed at Gold Harbour. Low winds and warm sunshine made it a contrast to our last stop, the South Orkneys. Some of us headed up toward Gold Head, while others enjoyed the hustling and bustling of the colony on the beach. Cooper Bay has always been a spectacular site for a Zodiac cruise. The rugged geology and the surrounding kelp forests offer an experience in sensory overload. We also observed the elusive macaroni penguin. These penguins live in Cooper Bay and other inaccessible places on the island. They can be hard to get to, despite being the most numerous penguins in South Georgia, with at least two million individuals. It was a stunning first day of adventure around this beautiful isle.
Today we arrived in the South Orkney Islands, and after breakfast we were invited to load into our Zodiacs for a cruise of the pass between Monroe and Coronation Island. We had a wonderful outing with winds and snow. We were lucky to see Antarctic fur seals, Weddell seals, and leopard seals along the shoreline and even witnessed a penguin falling prey to one of the leopard seals! After a quick lunch on National Geographic Endurance , we repositioned to Signy Island for our second activity of the day. We were all whisked ashore for an afternoon hike. We trekked over the island in our groups, dodging fur seals who often took an interest in us and tried to take chase. We managed to escape unscathed and enjoyed a wonderful hike over the fresh snow. We also saw some seals hauled out, molting male southern elephant seals which were huge, bellowing at each other. After our wonderful hike we returned to the ship ready to warm up but were immediately called to the bridge to see a very rare sighting - not one, but four blue whales!! It was an amazing encounter and one not many get to see. It perfectly wrapped up the day and we made our way back to the Ice Lounge for recap.
