A day at sea aboard the Caledonian Star can be anything from quiet, calm, and relaxing to jam-packed with adventure and wildlife and fun. Today was one of those days filled with incredible wildlife, a splash camera adventure with whales and lots and lots of fun.
Matt woke us up at 7:30 AM (and we thought we would get to sleep late after three non-stop days in South Georgia!!) to announce that we had two southern right whales just ahead of the ship. And we did. Two HUGE 70-ton southern right whales with a heart-shaped blow were shallow diving just ahead of the ship. We poured out on deck to watch. And then another blow in the distance. And another. And still another and another. All together we saw eight southern right whales this morning, and most of us aboard the ship for years and years have only seen a few. A few ANYWHERE. EVER! One pair looked like a female and calf, so we launched a Zodiac to film them using our splash cam, and we watched the underwater footage later in the day.
And there were birds galore. Seabirds by the thousands (and I mean thousands and thousands) were all around the feeding whales. Wandering albatross, black-browed albatross, royal albatross, grey-headed albatross, white-chinned petrels, greater shearwaters, Antarctic and thin-billed prions, southern and northern giant petrels, and even a king penguin. Southern fur seals and hourglass dolphins were leaping about in the feeding frenzy as well, so cameras were clicking away!
Just before lunch we approached four towering and pointed peaks jutting straight out of the ocean half way between South Georgia Island and the Falkland Islands. From out of nowhere thousands (and again I mean thousands) of South Georgian shags (a variety of the imperial or blue-eyed cormorant) were swarming around the ship, some feeding in the water, some flying in the updraft of the ship, many within barely an arm's reach of those out on deck. Another pair of right whales was feeding there too, and the albatrosses were still in force.
In all of my 13 years sailing in these waters, I have never seen so many different amazing creatures in such a remote and wild place. And I am happy to be here!
Matt woke us up at 7:30 AM (and we thought we would get to sleep late after three non-stop days in South Georgia!!) to announce that we had two southern right whales just ahead of the ship. And we did. Two HUGE 70-ton southern right whales with a heart-shaped blow were shallow diving just ahead of the ship. We poured out on deck to watch. And then another blow in the distance. And another. And still another and another. All together we saw eight southern right whales this morning, and most of us aboard the ship for years and years have only seen a few. A few ANYWHERE. EVER! One pair looked like a female and calf, so we launched a Zodiac to film them using our splash cam, and we watched the underwater footage later in the day.
And there were birds galore. Seabirds by the thousands (and I mean thousands and thousands) were all around the feeding whales. Wandering albatross, black-browed albatross, royal albatross, grey-headed albatross, white-chinned petrels, greater shearwaters, Antarctic and thin-billed prions, southern and northern giant petrels, and even a king penguin. Southern fur seals and hourglass dolphins were leaping about in the feeding frenzy as well, so cameras were clicking away!
Just before lunch we approached four towering and pointed peaks jutting straight out of the ocean half way between South Georgia Island and the Falkland Islands. From out of nowhere thousands (and again I mean thousands) of South Georgian shags (a variety of the imperial or blue-eyed cormorant) were swarming around the ship, some feeding in the water, some flying in the updraft of the ship, many within barely an arm's reach of those out on deck. Another pair of right whales was feeding there too, and the albatrosses were still in force.
In all of my 13 years sailing in these waters, I have never seen so many different amazing creatures in such a remote and wild place. And I am happy to be here!
