eGlobal Education

Elephant Island, Whales and Two Days at Sea 

Tiny spit where Shackleton's crew spent 4 1/2 months

After 2 days at sea, we reached Elephant Island, where Ernest Shackleton left 21 of his crew under the command of Frank Wild while he and 5 others made their terrifying journey to South Georgia Island, 800 miles away in a tiny, leaky lifeboat, through storms and huge waves, in 15 days.  They were only able to get their navigational bearings twice during that awful trip and yet managed to land on this tiny speck of land in the huge Southern Ocean.  

Iceberg near Shackleton's landing site

They landed on the opposite side of rugged South Georgia from the whaling stations, so Shackleton and 2 of his crew had to hike across mountains covered in snow, ice and glaciers to Stromness Bay, where they could get help.  They managed this difficult feat in 36 hours (an experienced trio of mountain climbers, well fed and equipped, took nearly 4 days to repeat the crossing several years ago).  When the 3 men came down the valley into the station, they were taken to the manager, who demanded to know who these filthy, frostbitten, haggard men were.  “My name is Shackleton,” Shackleton replied.  The manager turned aside and cried.  They had been lost in the pack ice for 17 months and were thought to be lost at sea.  

After rescuing the 3 men left at their landing site, Shackleton began the incredibly difficult task of saving his men on Elephant Island.  It took him 3 attempts to get back to Elephant Island, but he finally rescued his crew after 135 days in this incredibly desolate spot.  In looking at Elephant Island, it would seem that there had to be a better place to land his men, but everywhere we’ve looked, the rocky cliffs and glaciers come down to the sea, with no beaches at all. 

Glacier on Elephant Island

We went out in our Zodiacs this morning to tour the area.  The surf was too high for a landing at Shackleton’s campsite, so we circled the bay, admiring the large icebergs residing here, the glaciers and formidable cliffs surrounding the bay, and, of course, the tiny spot where Shackleton’s crew survived miraculously for 4 ½ months. 

The beach where the crew spent the winter is only a few feet above sea level, a jumble of rocks against the mountains and glaciers.  It is remarkable that they weren’t washed away by a winter storm surge because there is literally no place to go to save yourself here.  The rock beach looks about 50 feet  wide and perhaps 150 feet long, with waves crashing just below the campsite.  We did not see any seals today, but know the men lived on seals and penguins.  Not an easy catch in this frozen, slippery piece of rock.  The area is now called Point Wild and has a lonely marker to honor the captain of the completely inadequate tugboat that rescued the men against enormous odds.  When he saw the camp from the tugboat, Shackleton counted all the men who were waving frantically and happily at him and said, “They are all there.” 

Chinstrap Penguin--Elephant Island

Chinstrap Penguins nest on Elephant Island.  They are remarkable themselves, hopping up the steep, jagged and very slippery rocks to their nests.  We watched several of them as they tried to get into the water.  Those who dared slipped on the ice and bounced on the rocks before landing in the ocean.  The penguins look like black and white porpoises as they swim in and out swiftly either feeding or returning to their nests to feed their chicks.  We have admired their skill as they leap gracefully out of the water on their journeys.  They are incredibly fast. 

Yesterday we were at sea all day.  We spent several hours watching orcas and fin whales.  They are such huge animals and so incredibly graceful in the water for all their bulk.  One pod of orcas was chasing a fur seal, who soon disappeared, so we assume the unfortunate creature became a whale meal.

Sea ice forced us to reverse course

Now we are headed to the South Shetland Islands (Elephant Island is the northernmost of these islands) and then on to the Antarctic Peninsula.  We have been traveling through fairly heavy ice floes, so have had to divert our course to get around so much ice.  A short while ago, we felt the ship shudder and scrape as it hit an iceberg, so the captain wants to minimize that opportunity.   It’s so beautiful, but while the Silver Explorer is “ice hardened”, it is not an ice breaker and requires open water.  Later,after I wrote this, we actually reversed course and went back to Elephant Island (about a 5 hour detour) and around the island to the far side.  Now we’re continuing south in hopes of finding clear water. 

Every day, we have several lectures from the expedition staff who are all Antarctic researchers.  They are so knowledgeable about everything from birds to glaciers to geology to krill (the tiny shrimp that are the base layer in the food chain here, feeding birds, penguins, whales, seals—and us and our pets).   One woman studies the krill, which are quite fascinating little creatures.  One season here, she spent 2 months mostly in the water under the ice studying them and their predators.  Another crew member spent 2 years working on South Georgia Island, so knows the area well.  All the naturalists have spent years in the Antarctic, so we are lucky to benefit from their extensive experience and knowledge.