Gold Harbor & Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia
For our last day at South Georgia, we set off early before sunrise to get the best of what the island had to offer. With clear skies and calm seas, we landed at Gold Harbor and were instantly overwhelmed by the amount of wildlife. Our constant companions, the King Penguins and fur seals, were joined by a massive mound of molting elephant seals. These largest of the pinnipeds reach around 18 feet and come ashore after the breeding season to slough off their old skin. Many photos were shot of elephant seals lying around in a heaping pile with occasional minor scuffles.
The sun slowly lit up the surrounding mountains and cast a golden hue over the glaciers and King Penguin colony. It was a photographer's dream with images in every direction due to the abundant wildlife, stunning scenery, and blue skies. Many penguins still were sitting on eggs, while others had larger chicks. Golden light bathed the rocky cliffs, while the sky changed from a pinkish hue to a deep blue. We reluctantly were dragged back to the ship for breakfast, but our “geologist” expedition leader had more incredible scenery in store for us.
Drygalski Fjord contains the “best rocks” on South Georgia and today we were lucky enough to experience it at its finest. Blue skies revealed many high, jagged peaks rising straight up out of the flat sea. We slowly wove deeper into the fjord as it got narrower and narrower, until we reached the glacier at the head of the fjord. Feeding here were thousands of Wilson's Storm-petrels, delicately dancing on the mirror-like surface. After filling our minds and memory cards with hundreds of spectacular images, we headed out of Drygalski Fjord and towards Tristan de Cunha, four days sailing to the northeast.
For our last day at South Georgia, we set off early before sunrise to get the best of what the island had to offer. With clear skies and calm seas, we landed at Gold Harbor and were instantly overwhelmed by the amount of wildlife. Our constant companions, the King Penguins and fur seals, were joined by a massive mound of molting elephant seals. These largest of the pinnipeds reach around 18 feet and come ashore after the breeding season to slough off their old skin. Many photos were shot of elephant seals lying around in a heaping pile with occasional minor scuffles.
The sun slowly lit up the surrounding mountains and cast a golden hue over the glaciers and King Penguin colony. It was a photographer's dream with images in every direction due to the abundant wildlife, stunning scenery, and blue skies. Many penguins still were sitting on eggs, while others had larger chicks. Golden light bathed the rocky cliffs, while the sky changed from a pinkish hue to a deep blue. We reluctantly were dragged back to the ship for breakfast, but our “geologist” expedition leader had more incredible scenery in store for us.
Drygalski Fjord contains the “best rocks” on South Georgia and today we were lucky enough to experience it at its finest. Blue skies revealed many high, jagged peaks rising straight up out of the flat sea. We slowly wove deeper into the fjord as it got narrower and narrower, until we reached the glacier at the head of the fjord. Feeding here were thousands of Wilson's Storm-petrels, delicately dancing on the mirror-like surface. After filling our minds and memory cards with hundreds of spectacular images, we headed out of Drygalski Fjord and towards Tristan de Cunha, four days sailing to the northeast.
