A west wind was blowing powerfully down off the glaciers of South Georgia this morning, but when the National Geographic Explorer entered the sheltered bay of Ocean Harbor we discovered a perfect morning waiting for us there. This small cove is one of the most sheltered anchorages anywhere along the island and today a small yacht from France had taken shelter there, a welcome respite from a journey very different from our own.
Under bright sunshine we stepped down into the Zodiacs and left the ship, having chosen from a full menu of activities. A long hike took some of us up the grassy slopes behind the bay and onto a ridge where we could see into the larger inlet of Hound Bay to the south. The kayak platform went out, tucked behind a rocky prominence that sheltered it from the smooth swells rolling into the bay and many of us chose to explore in these small quiet boats, finding our own way along the shores and through the kelp beds. And a landing at the head of the bay gave us the opportunity to wander through South Georgia’s history, strolling and capturing images among the rusted machinery and disintegrating timbers of the whaling station that was active here in the early 20th Century. From shore and from the kayaks we all enjoyed views of the wreck of the Bayard, a whaling barque that went up on the rocks in 1911 and now provided us with a foreground subject for many beautiful photographs of the bay and surrounding hills.
Our afternoon took us to a very different place indeed. The large open crescent of St. Andrews Bay is home to the largest king penguin colony on South Georgia, but it is exposed to winds and swell from the sea that can make it a very difficult landing. Today we found that the surf was crashing onto the beach, but we managed to get ashore thanks to the skill of the Zodiac drivers and a team of intrepid boat wranglers, led by Lisa who was often shoulder deep in the cold waves. As before, at Gold Harbor, we were greeted at the landing by hundreds of kings and young fur seals, but in this case a short hike up a low ridge brought us to a unique wildlife spectacle. Approximately 300,000 adult king penguins make their home here, ten times as many as we had encountered at Gold Harbor! The colony spread out below us in a sea of gold, grey, and black birds, all calling, stretching, flapping, and bickering in an overwhelming cacophony that brought to mind the tremendous energy of life that prevailed everywhere before the planet was tamed by our species.
Quiet waters and sunshine, crashing surf and breathtaking wildlife, South Georgia showed us her best today.
