Fin Whales, Humpbacks and Shag Rocks

After a relatively rough night in the southern ocean on the way to South Georgia we woke to a light grey sky and no rain.
The boat sounded like it had been taking some big waves to the starboard side but the port side looked v inviting.
K was sleepy so I dressed and went out to the front observation deck where it was wetter than anticipated but no major wind.
The sun was coming up behind Shag Rocks , a group of jagged rocks to the west of South Georgia
Suddenly I took a large icy wave from the starboard side!! Despite my waterproof jacket the bracing water went straight down the neck and certainly woke me up! Whilst laughing and recovering from the first blast I got hit by a second massive wave!! I was drenched to the skin!!
Back in the cabin K was laughing as she had seen it all unfold on the front camera beamed to the cabin TV!!
There goes my inside warm clothes!
Just after dropping back in there was a message on the ship intercom advising that all outdoor decks were closed!! Whoops!!
During a hot shower I rinsed the salt water from my wet clothes so they would dry properly and hung them dripping in the bathroom. After finding some dry clothes neither of us felt like a sit down breakfast so we went and got a cuppa and some takeaway fruit and went up to the Observation Lounge on the 7th deck.
There were many people up there stood at the floor to ceiling windows admiring the rocks, the imperial comorants and the magnificent wandering albatross that was taking full advantage of the updrafts.
Before long a small pod of humpbacks were spotted actively blowing and splashing in the rough seas. What a treat??!! ... and it was only 08.30am.
We stayed up in the lounge whilst most people went back down for breakfast spotting more whales over the next 45 mins.
9.30am we were back in the cabin for the talk on glaciers by Norm and I think we were both back asleep by 10am!
At 11am there was an announcement over the tannoy that a pod of whales were spotted at 1 o’clock ( starboard) side so K and I rushed to the stern of the boat- wow it was blowing a gale and full of spray.
However we were treated to 30 mins of about 20 fin whales blowing in every direction we could see ( basically I think we had driven right through the pod!!) with the sun shining off their backs helping to sight the actual mammals. There were a few false blows spotted with the sprays being the tops of waves being blown off in the wind, but the height of the genuine blows were determined as they were initially much more vertical.
Amazing sight and feeling knowing there were Whales around.
Next it was a thorough biosecurity inspection and sign off in preparation for landing at the biologically pristine environment of South Georgia.
It is reported they have managed to fully eradicate the introduced rats which were causing predation issues. However it is also v important that we do not transfer seeds or any biosecurity risks from Falklands or anywhere else our bags and outerwear may have been. All Velcro needs to be inspected and clear of fluff, seeds etc and backpack mesh has to be gone over with a paper clip removing the tiniest bits of grass, grains of sand etc that may be caught when the backpacks are put down to get cameras out etc.
Next it was lunch and then the afternoon spent in our cabin alternating between TV and lectures on photography and whales which were on today’s programme.
There has been a muck up with the water supply today ( tasted like someone had mixed the fresh water with the water maker/ desalinated water) so there hasn’t been any tea or coffee since breakfast!!! It also caused the cancellation of “ afternoon tea”!!
Life aboard is tough!
We r now just waiting for dinner at 7.30pm before we will get ready for an early start tmrw - landing at South Georgia King Penguin colonies!!!Read more