Arrival at South Georgia Island

Morning view of South Georgia Island

Tuesday, November 7 -  Arrival at South Georgia

It was a foggy morning as we pulled into Elsehul Bay, at the very north west tip of South Georgia.  We passed Bird Island, and pulled into the bay around 7 AM  Snow Peak (2822 ft) was covered in clouds, but it kept peeking out between the cloud bank. Elsehul means Else’s Cove in Norwegian.  

From our daily briefing:

“Early this morning we will sail into Elsehul hoping to offer our first outing in South Georgia. Elsehul is a bay 0.5 miles wide which we will enter along the north coast of South Georgia, close to the west of Cape Pride. The name Elsehul dates back to the period 1905-12 and was probably applied by Norwegian sealers and whalers working in the area. This bay contains one of the largest Antarctic fur seal colonies in the world and is home to virtually all the species of breeding birds found in South Georgia, including macaroni penguins.

Spring in this fjord-like bay - with waterfalls cutting paths down the greening slopes

The white dots among the tussock grass tufts are nesting birds

The guidebook says that Elsehul Bay is one of the main breeding grounds for fur seals and during breeding season between November and March, there are so many aggressive fur seals on the beach that landing is not possible.  But you can see them via Zodiac, as well as nesting macaroni and gentoo penguins.  We are preparing to take a Zodiac excursion in the Bay.