Point Wild is the point that Shackleton and 5 of his men headed for South Georgia in a small lifeboat.
Cape Valentine is on Elephant Island’s North side and is named because it was discovered on Valentine’s Day. This is the area that Shackleton first landed, but moved because it is unprotected
Point Lookout on Elephant Island
Lookout Point, Elephant Island
Mind your Ps: people in red jackets among pink penguin poop on Paulet Island; this small volcanic caldera is a magical destination because it is the home to 150,000 adorable Adélie penguins. The footing on the landing was tricky-- try walking on loose slate saturated with putrid penguin guano. It is a site and smell we will never forget!
Elephant Island is located at the Northeast end of the South Shetland Islands at the Southern end of the Drake Passage. Its name goes back to the early days of sealing, around 1822, when there were many Elephant seals on the island’s beaches. The rugged, sheer, and part snow-covered island would probably be less well known if it had not been for the British explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. It is here that 22 men from the Endurance expedition had to survive for 4 months while waiting for Shackleton to return and rescue them. We had katabatic winds up to 100 mph so we couldn't make a landing because the sea was too rough for the Zodiacs.
This iceberg was several stories high, and could be part of the Larsen Ice Shelf.
Ice landscape in the Weddell Sea where we sailed through thousands of icebergs.
Ruins of the Larsen Hut built by the crew of the Antarctic.
Adélies on the ice floating in front of the island.
Rick with Rich Aronson our Smithsonian Study Leader.
Our fearless Tour Manager,
Cecilia Unger in her zodiac.
Penguin feathers are black only on the top.
