Heidi Lähteenmäki Sander remembers a crispier November morning on South Georgia in a blog post she wrote on a grey day at home in Gothenburg. Read it and dream yourself away too!
It is barely 5:00 AM, but I am already up, awake and fully dressed. Two pairs of socks, three pairs of trousers and three layers of sweaters. It's for best when a chilly adventure in South Georgia is what awaits!
Moving smooth and freely is not the easiest, but one by one we descend into the inflatable Zodiac that will take us all the way ashore. Our Zodiac makes a so-called surf-landing, which means the guides stand and receive us at the beach while the waves roll in. With waterproof clothing from top to toe, it is really fun to have to put your feet in the water before you can step up on the beach.
The sound of the waves drowns in the humming of the elephant seals, the delightful whine of the king penguins and the groaning of the fur seals - it is a way for them to show where the boundary of their territory goes. Once the ears get used to all the sounds, the eyes start to work too. Wherever I look, there are hundreds of king penguins standing in large clusters or strolling around. The elephant seals are like little lumps everywhere and are looking for eye contact with their big, round eyes. Suddenly we hear a thundering noise and the ground vibrates slightly. Right next to us are two elephant seals who are about to challenge each other in a harem fight!
I look out over this gigantic sea of fantastic animals, and there I stand, trying to capture everything from the surroundings - what a fantastic way start to the day!
