We have enjoyed amazing ocean crossings during this expedition to the Falklands and South Georgia. And ocean crossings aboard National Geographic Explorer are not about downtime. They are filled with interesting presentations that inform us about what we will see or give us more details about what we have been experiencing. It is also a time to go over some of the amazing photographic opportunities that we have enjoyed on this expedition. Our last passage of the trip from West Falkland to the southern part of Tierra del Fuego was no different, we awoke to views of Southern Argentina and Staten Island or Isla de los Estados. Albatrosses and other seabirds flew around the ship as we quickly made our way towards the protected Beagle Channel where we would turn west and skirt the border between Chile and Argentina—the channel is both a natural and geographic boundary of the two countries. There were a few presentations and a briefing about disembarkation from the ship and all the logistics involved. We didn’t want to necessarily think about leaving the ship or the end of the trip, but all great things must come to an end. This expedition has been an amazing experience for us all as we explored the Falkland Islands and then on to South Georgia, one of the premiere wildlife destinations in the world. We have now closed the loop and returned to where we began. Many of us thought about that as we packed our belongings and our memories from this incredible expedition.
10/16/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Grytviken and St. Andrews Bay
“In the darkening twilight I saw a star rise gem-like over the bay,”- Ernest Shackleton. A few hours after Shackleton wrote that sentence in his diary, the Boss, as he was known to his men, died in Grytviken. Today we visited the old whaling station, museum, post office, and graveyard, in Grytviken. As we wandered through the rusted buildings and vast array of machinery and equipment, we imagined what life must have been like in this bustling whaling station. Then we visited the wonderful museum which helped bring to life the history of this location, as well as the rest of the island. In the afternoon, the ship relocated to St. Andrews Bay where we landed on the sandy beach. Just a few yards away there was the first of many groups of elephant seals with their pups, many nursing on the rich milk produced by their moms. The bulls regularly bellowed to ward off possible threats. Along the way we passed thousands of king penguins in the process of molting. We were left speechless at the scene before our eyes; tens of thousands of Oakum Boys with adults interspersed. We were witnessing one of the great wildlife spectacles to be seen anywhere. There are no words or images that can describe such magnificence.