Shag Rocks, Scotia Sea, 11/6/2023, National Geographic Endurance
Aboard the
National Geographic Endurance
Antarctica
Overnight, we crossed into the Southern Ocean proper: the sea surface temperature dropped from 5 to 2 degrees Celsius. The wildlife composition also changed, with a higher abundance of seabirds and marine mammals. We encountered a large group of long-finned pilot whales before the fog thickened and prevented us from finding wildlife.
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This morning National Geographic Explorer arrived at Antarctica after a calm crossing of the Scotia Sea from South Georgia. At 6am, our expedition leader announced that we had arrived at the iconic location of Shackleton’s epic Elephant Island. The majority of adventurous souls on board headed for the bow or bridge to see Point Wild. For Shackleton’s men this was the first time in sixteen months they had been on land. After the Endurance sank, they spent 5.5 months camping on the ice and seven days in their rowboats to Cape Valentine. Realizing that beach was no safe-haven, Frank Wild took one of the lifeboats to seek a safer camp and found Point Wild, which was a miserable place. From the bow we could see the monument of Captain Pardo, commander of the Yelcho, which rescued the 22 men after Shackleton found help on South Georgia. A blustery day (gusts of 40 knots) around the island did not allow for a Zodiac cruise but we continued around the coast of Elephant Island and checked out Cape Valentine and Cape Lookout before heading across the Bransfield Strait to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Today we continued to make our way southeast through the Scotia Sea, on our way from South Georgia towards the Antarctic Peninsula. With our navigation sights set on Elephant Island, the reverse route experienced by Shackleton’s expedition, we are certainly grateful to be on board a vessel so warm and comfortable as National Geographic Explorer. As we ventured further south through the “furious 50s” and “screaming 60s”, our day at sea included an exciting pass by killer whales before breakfast and views of brash ice and seabirds cruising by. We enjoyed presentations from the expedition team on scientific research and life on South Georgia, learning about the ice features that make Antarctica special, and expedition stories from National Geographic photo expert Tommy Heinrich.
With a gentle following sea astern, we set our bow to the shores of Antarctica. Gentle breezes pushed us past towering tabular icebergs as seabirds streamed alongside our ship. The horizon was full of the blows from fin and humpback whales, some passing close to National Geographic Explorer , giving us incredible views of these stunning creatures. Much to our surprise, cryptic animals such as strap-toothed beaked whales and a southern bottlenose whale were spotted from the bridge to the delight of all present. Calm seas in a breathtaking landscape lay ahead on our course to the seventh continent.
