adventure & travel

Photo and travel report Antarctica | Part II

Land in sight!

by Martin Böhm • 04/04/2009

Massive elephant seals, sea lions and seals lie just behind the waterline on the beach. The deafeningly loud "burps" of the elephant seals in particular give us a queasy feeling for the first few meters. We explore the surroundings for a few hours, see the first king and gentoo penguins, and one or two mouths remain open in amazement and enthusiasm. As the weather is stable and the swell allows it, we sail on to explore Prion Island. A few wandering albatrosses nest here between meters of tussock grass, which at this time of year are about to hatch their offspring.

Marriage in the whalers' church

The territorial claims to South Georgia lie with England and therefore every visitor must register. This takes place in Grytviken, an old whaling station that currently mainly serves as a base for scientists. The old, half-ruined buildings of the whaling station, which was abandoned in 1965, and the grave of the aforementioned Edmund Shackelton are actually among Grytviken's main attractions.

Shackelton became famous above all as the leader of the British Antarctic expedition from 1914 to 1916, during which he wanted to reach the South Pole before Scott and Admundsen. However, the expedition failed when his ship, the Endurance, was crushed in the pack ice. Thanks to Shackleton's efforts, all the men on the expedition were rescued on Elephant Island. At that time, he was able to get help for his comrades not far from here (Stromness Harbour). He died on his fourth expedition, which was also to take him to Antarctica.

However, the main event during our visit was a wedding. Two fellow travelers said "I do" in the old 1913 Wahlfänger Church - dressed to the nines in wedding robes and rubber boots. We "wedding guests" also took part in the solemn ceremony in rubber boots and life jackets and watched the beginning of a marriage at the end of the world. Those who hurry can still make it into the top ten. It was only the eighth wedding in Antarctica's only registry office. Just around the corner, I was able to watch some sea lions having sex and even giving birth and then it was back on board...

The penguin show

Weather and heavy swell often prevent landings when traveling in polar regions. I was therefore particularly keen to see whether it would be possible to come ashore in St. Andrews Bay. One of the largest king penguin colonies is said to have recently set up camp here, so there is not yet much footage of this bay with its large population. I eagerly set the alarm for four o'clock.

The view out of the cabin window promised good things: a morning sky bathed in orange tones. This meant getting out into the cold, watching the rising fireball and capturing a few icebergs, glaciers and snow-covered mountains in the soft light on the chip in the camera. After breakfast, we quickly jumped into the Zodiacs. A whole day of top-class impressions for the brain and the camera.

Thousands of king penguins, a breathtaking landscape and fantastic weather combined to create an almost surreal scene. We particularly enjoyed the so-called "kindergarten". Here, the entire penguin offspring stand more or less close together and wait for the parents to return from the sea.

With loud and unmistakable calls from both sides, the parents and young come together in the midst of thousands of penguins to exchange food and a few caresses. Every now and then one of the young animals runs amok, probably out of youthful recklessness or pubescent imposing behavior. The conspecifics are sometimes overrun and slips when changing direction too quickly offer show interludes that bring tears to our eyes with laughter.

More shore excursions

On further shore excursions, we explore several regions of South Georgia day by day. Almost every penguin species living here could be photographed in all their calls and their behavior could be studied. The organizer's promising announcement was completely fulfilled to the satisfaction of all our fellow travellers. I have already traveled in several regions of the world, but such a fascinating composition of flora and fauna with a high degree of originality is unfortunately not often found anymore.

As individual trekking or mountain tours are almost impossible due to strict nature conservation regulations or can only be carried out with very expensive special permits and scientific accompaniment, there is a good chance that this will continue to be the case. The residual risk posed by us passengers or if the boat sinks or leaks fuel is of course still a danger for this region that should not be underestimated.

After five days, we anchored in Drygalski Fjord. Named after one of the largest glaciers calving into the sea, the scenery was once again cinematic. Here, too, there were an unusually large number of icebergs and ice shelves in the water, which is of course beautiful to look at, but also raises the question of changes in global climatic conditions. While I was studying geography, I was able to witness "live by satellite" how the 3250 square kilometer Larsen B shelf, which had been stable for over 10,000 years, collapsed. So far, the exact cause has not been 100% clarified within the scientific community...

However, anchoring comfortably here in the fjord, I am currently more worried about the barometer: it is plummeting. As we have to head out to sea again tomorrow to set course for Ushuaia, this doesn't bode well. At dinner, the captain announces that this will probably be the last four-course meal for the next two days, as the kitchen staff will certainly not be able to offer the usual standard in high waves.

We are told to prepare ourselves to store everything that is not fastened securely in cupboards, sleep on the floor if necessary and move around the ship as little as possible. Walking on deck was forbidden for safety reasons. The weather forecast predicted swell of up to 10 m with wind force 11. What's more, we were sailing into the Drake Passage, where the Atlantic meets the Pacific. This route is characterized by strong currents and particularly strong winds due to the Antarctic low pressure belt. He adds mischievously: "It gets a bit 'bumpy' there". I try to enjoy the food for the time being...

Heavy seas

The next day we leave the fjord. The wind and waves increase by the minute. The ship rolls from left to right with an amplitude of about 8 meters on the outside. The bow shoots up 10 m, only to crash into the next wave trough shortly afterwards with a deafening roar. The water splashes against the 20 m high bridge. Meanwhile, the captain listens to classical music and seems relaxed - he even seems to enjoy it. It pulls the rug from under my feet. I hunker down in bed for the next two days and hope that the seasickness subsides.

Steffi doesn't mind the swell. She provides me with easily digestible food and tells me what's going on outside the cabin. Almost half of the passengers are seasick. Many sleep in the lounge as there is a high risk of falling out of bed. Some have already sustained lacerations on walls and steel doors, and one or two fingers have changed shape in suddenly closing doors. In other words: the ship's doctor has his work cut out for him.

At some point it calms down, people laugh again and the spit is over. For two more days, our ship is accompanied by various species of albatross, giant petrels and dolphins until the mainland appears on the horizon. The reason for a lovely farewell party, which lasts until the early hours of the morning and the next day I wonder whether it's the lack of waves or the Argentinian red wine that makes the first steps on land so exhausting...

Further information:

If you fancy visiting the penguins now, you can take advantage of the following options, for example: If you have a lot of time or if you happen to be in Ushuaia anyway ;-): There is always the possibility to buy a "last minute ticket" for a cabin place there. Organized trips to this region are offered by Colibri Umweltreisen, for example: www.colibri-berlin.de

Best time to travel: November to MarchInfos about South Georgia: South Georgia is a mountainous and rugged island with numerous glaciers on the edge of the Antarctic Convergence. Eleven of South Georgia's mountains reach an altitude of over 2,000 m, with the highest peak being Mount Paget at 2,934 m. The main island of South Georgia is 160 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide. It covers an area of 3,756 square kilometers. There are more than 160 glaciers on the island, many of which reach as far as the sea. The south-west coast is exposed to westerly winds and therefore has a colder, stormier and generally very inhospitable climate. The north-east coast lies in the lee of the mountains. The climate there is therefore more pleasant and the swell in the bays is calmer.

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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