The Island of South Georgia - the ultimate wildlife destination

Described as a “jewel” in the middle of the South Atlantic, the Island of South Georgia is now recognised by many as having had the greatest concentration of seabirds and marine mammals of anywhere in the world.

Stunning lenticular clouds over the Island of South Georgia

The figures speak for themselves, 7.6 million common diving petrels, 3 million fur seals, 1.8 million white chinned petrels, two million Marconi penguins, 900,000 King penguins, 400,000 Elephant seals, 250,000 Albatrosses, 200,000 Gentoo penguins with endemic birds such as the South Georgia pipit and South Georgia Pintail. But it hasn’t always been a good news story.

Even in mid-summer, a sprinkling of snow can occur

This crescent-shaped island measuring a hundred miles in length and varying from 1.2 miles to 24 miles in width, lies some 900 miles from the Falklands Islands and a thousand miles north of the Antarctic peninsula. Its backbone, a ridge of mountains reaching 9,000 feet in height criss-crossed by 160 glaciers with katabatic winds of over 100 mph commonplace.

Conditions can be tough for the residents

An Ice block from a glacier crashes into the sea

It‘s the island's position just south of the Antarctic convergence where the mixing of the waters of two oceans causing an upwelling rich in nutrients, which makes the difference. With the conditions allowing micro organisms and phytoplankton to thrive, and so the food chain grows…krill...fish…seals…whales…seabirds.

Orca pods patrol offshore

First discovered by British merchant Antoine de la Roche in 1675 when his ship had been blown off course while attempting to round Cape Horn, it would be another hundred years before human eyes would again gaze at this inhospitable terrain. This time by the recognisable name of Captain James Cook, who completed the first recorded landing.

Remnants of the whaling operation which ceased in 1965

Alas, his accounts of seals and whales would attract the hunters who by the early 20th century had seen the setting up of three whaling stations. By 1965 when stocks of whales had run dry, 175,250 whales had been processed in just 61 years.

A replica of Shackleton's "James Laird"

On a brighter note, South Georgia was also the scene of one of the most amazing escape stories of all time with the voyage of Ernest Shackleton in the lifeboat James Caird. Along with five of his men, Shakleton made it from Elephant island across 800 miles of treacherous seas to South Georgia in 1916. Only then, having to trek across the mountains and glaciers to make it to the whaling station of Stromness.

The old whaling station at Stromness

Another side effect of human occupation was the arrival of rats which decimated the seabird colonies. A trial eradication program using helicopters with the laying of poisoned bait in 2011 proved successful, being rolled out to the rest of the island in 2013.

Today it is the Giant Petrols that are the main predators, not the rats.

With the eradication of introduced reindeer as well, the island is now free of introduced mammals, and increases of seabirds and the recolonisation of new areas are now being seen. A good news story for the island at last.

So we come to one of the greatest "nature" shows on earth, although many of the sea birds are nocturnal so won’t be seen apart from the odd adult passing off shore in daylight hours.

Female and juvenile Elephant seals

Some of the three million Fur seals which call South Georgia their home

Any sheltered cove where a beach is shallow enough to make a landing seems to have a fur seal colony. The small male pups not being afraid to try out their newfound bravery on you if you approach too close. The Elephant seals tends to lay in groups with the smell and noises of these heavy weights a sensory experience to behold!

The majestic Albatross

Albatrosses nest more on the outlying island but will often follow your ship using the updraft as an aid and if you are lucky, you may spot the beautiful Light-mantle Sooty Albatross with its “kind” eye.

For me, it would be approaching the massive King penguin colonies which will live with me forever, from a distance you think you are looking at an expanse of snow before realising you are looking at the white of King penguins, the second biggest of the penguin breed.

Approaching Salisbury plain, a landing in January will see some 60,000 penguins incubating eggs while their mates are away fishing. The trumpeting noise with the pointing of the beak to the sky will help them find each other in this penguin city. Disputes with their neighbours are commonplace with the spacing being a bill and neck lunge in distance.

Around the edges, a few of the last remaining chicks from the previous season are shedding their down in readiness to escape to the open sea.

The trademark bolt upright stance and waddle makes you smile, but once in the sea, these are the masters of their environment.

The rockier outcrops will find the Marconi penguins with their suave-looking head dress while in the surrounding seas, whales starting to become a common sight while a pod of Orca will always delight.

There is nowhere quite like the Island of South Georgia.