South Georgia Voyage narrative -1.
Just back from an amazing expedition to South Georgia, a remote and ruggedly beautiful landmass in the Southern Atlantic ocean and is a part of the Antarctic Region. As the only large landmass in the region that is not covered in Ice, the Island is home to many species of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Mammals and Birds that use the Island to breed. The Island is totally exposed to the weather of the southern ocean that can quickly bring in very big storms in terms of wind velocity and height of the tidal waves. Therefore, the term “expedition” and not a “cruise” is used to describe the trip! Access to the Islands is possible only by Sea as a three-day Voyage from Ushuaia in the southern tip of Argentina or from the Falklands, British Controlled Island east of the southern tip of Argentina. South Georgia itself is also controlled by Britain and has a few people stationed at Grytviken, a former whaling base in the Island.
South Georgia itself is bounded by high rising mountains on one side, beyond which is the Scotia Sea. The Southern Ocean is on the other side and access to the island is through Beaches and we made landings to these beaches through rides on Zodiacs.
The main species that occupy these beaches to breed and take breaks from the life at sea are the Penguins, Elephant Seals, Fur Seals, Albatrosses and Petrels. All these species use special habitats in the Island or unique seasons to use the space and procreate. The wildlife in the Island was badly affected due to the relentless whaling and hunting till the first half of the 20th Century. After a ban on whaling/hunting from the 1960s and thanks to conservation efforts, the ecosystem has made a nice comeback that one hopes will be sustained.
As a fledgling wildlife watcher, what I found fascinating and unique about the wildlife was the fact that these are one of the very few places where an absence of human habitation makes wildlife really free. Clearly, we are the aliens there and the responsibility is solely on us to behave appropriately in an environment that belongs solely to them. Having said that, they are not in the least fearful or antagonistic towards humans. Many of them are even curious enough to inspect us. All this makes for an experience that is so overwhelming to begin with and a unique one by the end- one that you will remember for a lifetime !!
A word about the expedition leaders. Cheeseman’s Ecology Safaris was the company with whom I signed up for the voyage. A totally passionate and experienced team lead by Ted Cheeseman was the team that worked so hard for two weeks to navigate “The Ortelius “ through some treacherous seas and plan our landing schedules on the island based on their reading of so many variables. Needless to say, without a passionate and experienced team like theirs, such a trip will never be possible.
Excited to write about various aspects of the trip and the wildlife itself. Rather than write it as one long travel blog, I plan to try and write about this in bite sized chunks and attach a relevant photos, videos or links along with these. So this is the first one. The link below gives the snapshot of the journey . Here goes …
NEWS of Planet Earth 