Date - 22 November
Weather - Sunny, maximum 2 degrees
Seas - Very calm
We had the most amazing day because the weather was the best we could possibly hope for and we saw some wonderful Antarctic wildlife. The sun was out and the sea was calm.
Today was the first of approximately three days exploring South Georgia Island. At 7.30am the ship dropped anchor at Elsehul Harbour which is located at the northwestern extremity of South Georgia Island. Our zodiac group, Leopard, was the last group off the ship in the morning as the groups are rotated each time. We were in the zodiac by 9.15am after having an earlier breakfast. Eighteen zodiacs were used and each take about ten people.
The morning's outing on the zodiac was a good test of our gear to see if we were warm enough. The maximum temperature was two degrees and as we had no wind and flat seas it was considered an excellent day for exploring. On my legs I had long johns, thick tracksuit pants and my waterproof over pants and it was adequate to keep the cold out with the ship's yellow waterproof jacket.
We spent one and a half hours on the zodiac during the morning exploring Elsehul Harbour and we managed to get very close to elephant and fur seals and Macaroni and King Penguins.
There were many lazing around on the small beaches. The male elephant seals were enormous and many had battle scars. There were also many varieties of birds including Grey-Headed Albatros, Arctic Terns, Skuas and Petrels. It was a fantastic morning.
After we all returned to the ship it immediately lifted anchor and headed for Salisbury Plain. We passed a number of large icebergs on the way. One was bigger than the ship and they were spectacular on the calm sea as we passed them. After an early lunch we returned to the zodiac to explore Salisbury Plain. Half the zodiacs landed and half remained sight-seeing around the shore area. Then the two groups swapped. We initially cruised and then had our turn landing on the Salisbury Plain Beach.
After we landed on the beach (which was a challenge because of the calm swell) we were allowed two hours to explore the area before getting back onto the zodiac to return to the ship. It is estimated that there are up to 60,000 breeding pairs of King Penguins on the plain and it certainly looked like it. We couldn't believe what we saw.
There were acres upon acres of the King Penguins and their young, fluffy brown chics along with their wailing noises. We soon got used to the stench of Penguin poo pervading the colony.
We were thankful that we had on our ship's Wellington boots to walk through the wet, boggy and poo-ie areas. Many of the penguins were moulting and the damp ground was covered with their little feathers. The penguins were not frightened by our presence and many came close to us and were curious. We took many photos as everywhere we looked was a photo opportunity.
We returned to the ship by seven o'clock and quickly showered for dinner for seven thirty. Because of our long day on the excursions our recap of the day and tomorrow's briefing was delayed until 9.15pm. Everyone was tired but very contented after being out in the elements all day and seeing such an abundance of wildlife.
Tomorrow is a very early start. We will be woken at 5.00am and will be leaving the ship at 6.00am to tour an old whaling station on South Georgia.
It was a fantastic and unforgettable day and never to be repeated. We felt so fortunate.
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