Gold Harbor, Cooper Bay & Drygalski Fjord
Day three in South Georgia began much like the previous two days here; absolutely incredible! Once again, we did a pre-sunrise landing in a massive King Penguin colony. This time the setting at Gold Harbor may have been the most dramatic, and the clouds, lit up in a fiery red, were the most fantastic. Words cannot describe the scene that unfolded today, but I will attempt using only a few. Surrounded by elephant seals, both behemoth males and plump wieners, along with at least 30,000 pairs of King Penguins, the sky exploded in fire. A glacier loomed high above us, Gentoo Penguin eggs were hatching, and it was calm, sunny, and warm. I don’t really know of a more perfect morning anywhere on the planet.
In the afternoon we continued the intense wildlife experience by visiting Cooper Bay. Four species of penguin breed in this bay, including our first Chinstraps and Macaronis. Many of us climbed a tussock slope to get above the Macaroni colony. An incredible panorama of the entire bay would have been sufficient, but having thousands of courting penguins braying, allopreening, and battling made the visit extraordinary. Our first fur seal pup of the year was spotted, a leopard seal was patrolling one of the beaches, and once again we were treated to hot, sunny, and calm conditions.
To finish the day, we entered Drygalski Fjord. Stunning scenery was in the works as our epic weather continued. The Captain brought us relatively close to Risting glacier for incredible views of this river of ice. Some sizeable calvings occurred, and many birds raced in to feed on the critters stunned by the falling ice. Our first Snow Petrels of the trip were amongst them. With panoramic views in every direction, we sailed out of the fjord with dreams of what lies ahead for tomorrows visit here in Paradise!
