My early season Antarctic expedition on Aurora Expedition’s Sylvia Earle continued, and it has had an unexpected but much appreciated personal sense of completion. In my now eight expeditions to Antarctica, I have heard various versions, with various amounts of enthusiasm, about Ernest Shackleton and his epic voyages to Antarctica, the saving of his crew, Elephant Island, South Georgia, etc. Much of it, however, has been theoretical. But on this expedition, much of the theoretical has become reality and, thus, a feeling of clarity and completion.
I had been to Antarctica and been in awe of the power of the ice and the sordid history of South Georgia (as well as its remoteness and wildlife), and I had a toast to Shackleton at his graveside. However, one missing piece was Elephant Island, and another was actually seeing the Endurance. In spite of, or maybe because of, the bad weather, things fell into place (due in large part to the talents of our expedition leader, Ashley, her passion for South Georgia, and what I call “playing chess rather than checkers” when planning things). But let me not get ahead of myself!
Bad weather and seas required that we take a long route to Antarctica to avoid as much as possible a huge storm. This was done by first heading north, then west, and then finally south, toward Elephant Island, resulting in those four days a sea. This is exactly the sort of weather and sea conditions I was concerned would greet us by taking this expedition in October – early in the Antarctic season. Were the four sea days worth it? Was cutting our time at South Georgia worth it? I mean, we also missed out on visiting Stanley in the Falkland Islands (for me, it isn’t that much of a loss). That would seem to be a lot to be missed, right? Well, this is where perspective and the embracing of the expedition spirit comes in.
Fortunately, Sylvia Earle’s X Bow hull might look weird, but she handled the seas incredibly well. Oh, for the first day there were some seasick guests and the Rockhopper alternative restaurant on Deck 8 was closed, but after that it wasn’t long until pretty much everyone was out and about; noting that the elevator was closed so stairs were mandatory. The expedition team did a great job putting together lectures, workshops, movie nights, talks on what it is like to live and work on South Georgia, and more.
A highlight for me (other than clearing my desk of all of my work, so when I head home, I won’t have a massive pile to address) was a viewing of the just-released movie “Endurance” which was about the expedition that successfully found Shackleton’s Endurance ship intact on the ocean floor. It also melded in historical footage, AI generated speech from a number of her officers, crew, and Shackleton. Afterward, Ashley, our expedition leader, had a surprise: She arranged a Question & Answer period via WhatsApp with Saunders Carmichael-Brown, the shooting producer and media manager for the movie. Very cool. Very enlightening. Very much a recommended purchase on Disney+/Hulu.
Yes, I was looking forward to exploring the west coast of South Georgia from both wildlife and historical perspectives. However, what we did experience – and it was a lot- was fantastic. We did not miss a landing and enjoyed extraordinary wildlife viewing and an in-depth Shackleton history lesson. Last time I was there – on another line – I missed some landings and our time was too brief. Plus, the few omissions (that most folks would never miss) gives me a needed excuse to return to this amazing place to fill in those few blanks!
South Georgia was significantly different in October than it was in December/January; especially as it relates to wildlife. It was almost like visiting two totally different places. Thinking about it, I do need to research expeditions that focus just on South Georgia. That is not because I feel like I missed too much, but rather because it has cemented itself as one of my favorite places on earth and I just want to see and know more.
Anyway, after those four sea days, I awoke at 6:15 a.m. to calm seas, beautiful blue skies, and an awe-inspiring view of Elephant Island.
We arrived at Point Wild, Elephant Island, which is where Shackleton’s crew survived while he and three others made the treacherous journey to South Georgia in a small boat. It was little more than a small spit of land that backed onto steep rock and a glacier (that has now significantly receded.) It gave tremendous perspective to how horrible the conditions must have been and how truly isolated from the world they were.
On that spit of land (seen on the far right of the photo), the Frank Wild Memorial – Shackleton’s right-hand man who oversaw the 22 crew – which actually is a monument honoring Antonio Pardo Villalon, the Chilean navy officer who commanded the ship that rescued the 22 crew – marks that historical spot.
I felt like now that I have a far better understanding of the distance to Elephant Island, what the seas are like, and the true isolation, I have pretty much seen and, thus, better appreciate what Shackelton and his men achieved…far more than “merely” surviving a disaster as written in a book or told in a lecture. It kind of brought more of a feeling of peace rather than enlightenment. I am not sure why, but maybe because I initially thought, “What’s the big deal?” and now I understand it was truly a big deal, mostly from the humanity and integrity points of view, rather than “just” another survival story.
Maybe it was a combination of all that plus a glacier, icebergs, hundreds of chinstrap penguins, and ever-changing light that made it all very special.
As we were leaving a few fin whales (the second-largest whale) swam along with the ship. I was able to enjoy the show right from my stateroom’s balcony!
The captain then maneuvered the ship to Walker Point, where we were privileged to do that which most expedition visitors can’t pull off: A landing. The swell was tricky, and only the most experienced zodiac drivers brought the guests in, but in we did come. It was a short visit to see chinstrap penguins.
Of course, while literally everyone else went to the right of the landing site to climb up to a viewpoint to see them, I headed to the left, enjoying a number of slumbering Weddell seals, resting giant petrels and sheathbills, as well as chinstraps…including two that were involved in a pretty serious fight.
I did have a bit of chat with one of the expedition team, but mostly I was engrossed in the magnificence of the solitude and beauty of the moment.
After lunch, which included a nice sushi option,
we sailed to Gibbs Island, southwest of Elephant Island. I was optimistic, but I also wondered if it was more of an esoteric stop because not many expeditions go there or if it would be something special. Only Snowy, our ornithologist, had been there once years ago, but it was at a different time of year. Fortunately, my zodiac cruise was with Snowy.
It started slowly with a cruise around an iceberg, but we saw an Antarctic petrel and a Snowy petrel (for you bird lovers!), and then we cruised over to the rocky coast. As we were scouring the cost for wildlife, we saw a couple of Macaroni penguins, followed their path, and discovered a colony of hundreds of them high on the hill.
We then came upon colony after colony of Chinstrap penguins, each one rising higher and higher above us. Interspersed on the rocks were more Macaroni penguins.
As we cruised through a cove, we came upon a very narrow bit of land where you could see Elephant Island in the distance…and then a sandy beach with more penguins, including an Adele penguin, as well as resting Weddell and Fur seals.
After visiting a few more chinstrap colonies, it was back to the Sylvia Earle, a quick shower, dinner, one after-dinner drink, and bed. It was amazing how tired one gets from one day of activity after four days at sea!
The next morning brought us to Half Moon Island. This site is not generally considered one of the better ones. However, with there still being lots of ice where we want to go and the expedition team making sure we would have two landings or zodiac cruises a day, this spot is southerly and available. To my surprise, it was beautifully covered in snow and made the place and surrounding areas beyond picturesque. The sunny skies, warm temperatures, and flat calm waters didn’t hurt!
I charged ahead of those in the zodiac I cruised over on and, after pausing on a few occasions for chinstrap penguins wandering through my path (or was it theirs?), I wound up having about thirty minutes of solitude at the furthest point we could go (noticing a theme?), taking time to have a really nice chat with Dani, our whale expert. As I say often when on an expedition, many times it is better for you to stay in one place and let the wildlife come to you, rather than you seeking it out. And that is what happened: A baby Weddell seal came around a rock, was playing in the snow, rolling over, pushing it with her head, wiggling, and generally just loving life. Magic!
With the other guests coming my way, it was time to head back to the ship, have a beer, watch a few Humpback whales spout in the distance, and take in the beauty before we headed to our second landing of the day – a favorite of mine – Deception Island.
To me, Deception Island is like a combination of Ansel Adams photographs and charcoal sketches with its stark volcanic sands and rock playing off the snow. When it is cloudy and a bit rainy, as it was that day, it makes it even more so. Having been there a few times and finding the landing to be OK (unique the first time with the warm sand and water, courtesy of this active volcanic island), for me the views from the ship is what grabs me, so I skipped the landing and spent time on deck.
While I have repeatedly said that photographs just don’t capture it all, here are a few that I personally like and, at least to me, feel a bit like surreal paintings.
After an Argentinian steak dinner at Rockhopper and noticing for the first time that they do serve champagne and a nice Austrian dessert wine at dinner, it was time to relax, think back on the day, and head to bed…when I noticed something else: The days are definitely getting longer with it still being somewhat light at 10:30 p.m. Now if the weather clears at night, tomorrow could be time to be out on deck late into the evening. Fingers crossed!
Next up: More Antarctica!
