South Orkney Islands

We are slowly making our way from South Georgia towards Antartica. Today we spent the day in the South Orkney Islands. In the morning we landed on Signy Island at Stygian cove. There were some penguins and some seals but for the most part we went ashore for the hike and the scenery. The weather was warmish but also rainy and the footing was rocky and a bit unstable but we enjoyed getting some walking in. As we approached we were treated to lots of Icebergs that had broken off the glacier on Signy island which made for a beautiful view.

The landing by Zodiac was relatively cal in the protected bay but a little farther than the ship than usual.

the ship from Signy Island after we landed

Female or Juvenile Elephant seals on Signy Island

Views on Signy Island with the ship in the distance

We returned to the ship and moved to a different lpace on South Orkney in a bay between Monroe island and Coronation island where we took Zodiac cruising. The bay was full of wildlife, especially lots of Chinstrap Penguins which we hadn't seen up close yet.

Chinstrap Penguins and a Snowy sheathbill

Amoung the chinstrap penguins swimming in the water were their primary predator the Leopard seal. Because of this they would gather at the edge of the water in numbers trying to decide whether to take the chance or not.

Chinstrap Penguins deciding whether to take the plunge

We shifted over to Coronation Island and joined a group of Zodiacs looking at Leopard Seals, just as we arrived one of them caught a chinstrap and thrashed it around in order to get the skin off and eat it. We missed most of the action but had several views of the seal and another that had hauled out on land.

We headed back to the ship to let the second half of the ship go out on the Zodiacs. It was Jett's birthday today so we had some cake in the dining room after dinner and then headed back to the room for a screening of The Endurance - a new documentary about the search and eventual discovery of Ernest Shackleton's ship the Endurarance. Shawn fell asleep before it was over and Conrad watched till the end. Tomorrow we will stop at Point Wild where the majority of the men from the Endurance Shipwreck stayed under the command of Frank Wild while Shackleton and 2 others took a rigged up lifeboat and sailed 700 nautical miles to South Georgian where they finally got help, 7 months after they got stuck in the ice.