Fortuna Bay, South Georgia
Parting is such sweet sorrow. Today marks the official ending of the 2010/2011 Antarctic season for the National Geographic Explorer, which began in late October last year here on South Georgia. Oh the things we have seen and done in this austral spring and summer timeframe, and what better way to celebrate the leaving of this magnificent part of the world than with a dawn landing here in Fortuna Bay.
Our morning was almost surreal as we hiked the beach at Whistle Cove towards König Glacier amongst thousands of king penguins, hundreds of Antarctic fur seal mothers and their pups, and several small herds of reindeer grazing along the outwash plain of the glacier. It was here that Sir Ernest Shackleton and his companions Worsley and Crean made their descent to this very beach on the final leg of their epic crossing of South Georgia on May 20, 1916.
I can’t help but wonder what these three men would think if they had lived to see the changes that have occurred here in the 95 years since that time. The Antarctic fur seal has made an extraordinary comeback and its population now probably exceeds 3 million animals. With so many pups stretched out on the grassy flats, strewn about on the beach, and squirming in the surrounding seas it seems that a pinniped invasion is in full progress. How many more fur seals can this small island support?
The reindeer introduced by the very Norwegian whalers who gave shelter and aid to Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean have multiplied from the small herds introduced in their time to several thousand now. The government of South Georgia is caught up in the decision of whether to allow this introduced invasive species to continue living here or to eradicate the population entirely.
What changes will the next 95 years bring to South Georgia? No doubt we ourselves might not recognize this very beach as the König Glacier continues to retreat, the fur seals continue to multiply, and the reindeer may be terminated. Of course the only constant in life is change, unforeseen and inevitable. What I wouldn’t give for just a brief glimpse of this island in the year 2106!
Leaving Antarctic waters for the last time this season, we set course for our next landfall in 4 days time at Tristan de Cunha. Several whales were sighted from the bridge before leaving sight of South Georgia including a rare look at a southern bottlenose whale, several fin whales, and was that a blue whale on the horizon?
