Gold Harbour, 11/2/2019, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
This morning, the reason for turning our clocks ahead became painfully clear. Our expedition leader’s voice came over the loud speakers at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. The reason for this was billed as what could be the highlight of our expedition: a dawn visit to Gold Harbour, an easterly-facing beach with thousands of elephant seals and king penguins.
From the moment we arrived at the beach, we saw the gauntlet of elephant seals defending their territories. For some of us, it was one of the most exciting moments in our lives.
Steve Morello has had a long and colorful career in the natural history world. Born in New Jersey, he was lucky to be able to summer on the shores of Cape Cod. Whether it was exploring the tidal pools, snorkeling along the beach, or hiking in the dun...
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A gently swaying National Geographic Endurance greeted the day. The wind and waves that our guests had become accustomed to during this voyage were nowhere in sight. Instead, a light breeze and calm seas lifted our spirits as we prepared for our final day on the ship. Sei whales, albatross, and dolphins welcomed us into the Beagle Channel before long. In between packing and reclaiming our passports, several presentations were given with a wide range of topics. First up, our undersea team shared footage from several dives in the Falklands, including a notable visit from some rather playful southern sea lions. Secondly, our National Geographic photographer spoke about photography and how it can be used to inspire conversation about wild places. Wrapping up our presentations for the day was our guest speaker, Mensun Bound, who provided a loose Q&A session on Shackleton. Captain Oliver and Expedition Leader Russ shared a few words about our epic voyage and sent us off to dinner. A day full of education and sightseeing – a great way to say farewell to our incredible guests.
Clouds greeted us this morning as we awoke onboard National Geographic Endurance . The rain attempted to dampen our spirits, but we weren’t having any of it – a colony of albatross and penguins awaited us! West Point Island delivered an unbelievable morning walk through mossy ground and rolling hills. Beaver Island brought sunshine in the sky and penguins in the surf. Beautiful views and wildlife were all around.
We awoke to breezy conditions in Committee Bay by Keppel Island, the site of a mission in the mid to late 1800s. Some of us went for a long hike while others landed at the settlement and explored the historic buildings. We were treated to good views of dark-faced ground tyrants, long-tailed meadowlarks, and canary-winged finches as we learned about the history of this location. After lunch we landed at Grave Cove on the main island of West Falkland where we enjoyed great views of the gentoo penguin colonies at the site. The tide was out so we were treated to the rich intertidal life of the Falkland Islands as well.
