Today our captain took National Geographic Endurance farther south than ever before–to Sims Island and the Stange Ice Shelf (73°16'57" S 78°32'15" W). Remarkably, the island was four nautical miles farther north than the Admiralty charts indicated, giving us a sense of how poorly known this area is. We are among the very few humans who have ever stepped foot on this island, which is believed to be the most southerly point on the planet where plants and bryophytes can grow. A truly adventurous expedition day!
2/24/2022
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National Geographic Endurance
Pebble Island and Saunders Island, Falkland Islands
Today was a day filled with exciting opportunities for exploration! We started the morning on Pebble Island with an early landing filled with Peale’s dolphins, before going for long walks along the coastline and interior. In the afternoon we were able to go on a hike to “The Neck” on Saunders Island, an area with sei whale bones and nesting cormorants. The Undersea Team went on a SCUBA dive, exploring the shallow kelp forests on the coastline of Pebble Island, and were surprised to see several Peale’s dolphins diving with them towards the end of their dive.