These adorable elephant seal pups were everywhere at Gold Harbour, from the moment the first group unloaded off the zodiac, to when the last departed. It was a literal swarm of a these cuties, coming up to the home base on the beach, which is where everyone could leave their belongings, along with an expedition guide always present to assist with anything. My friend I probably spent a good half hour or more, sitting in the sand, while these pups came right up to us within inches, soaking it all in. I mean honestly, how could you not love them, with their puppy like faces, and big round, inquisitive, curious eyes, looking right at you. These few week old pups were looking at us for food, more specifically, milk. Their moms trained them for 2-3 weeks and then took off to sea, gone for at least a few years before seeing them again. While it might seem harsh, in nature, it is sink or swim. For these pups, instincts will kick in and most will survive to grow into adulthood. Gold Harbour, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GPS Coordinates: 54°37'2.615" S 35°56'21.594" W
Behold the Beachmaster!! This guy was huge! And he just won a fight in the water, dueling with another smaller male elephant seal. His post-victory end-zone dance/celebration/chest pounding/I-am-seal-hear-me-roar, was close to a minute long. It was a deep, gut-punching, machine gun like belch, over and over, until he made sure no other male would mess with him. It is said this roar can be heard from over mile away and I strongly concur, sitting no more than maybe 100ft away. With a slight chill in the air, he was expending so much effort doing this, that you can even see steam protruding from its open mouth. The rawness of nature is so amazing. Gold Harbour, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GPS Coordinates: 54°37'2.597" S 35°56'21.348" W
The thing I loved about St. Andrews Bay, was the variety of terrain we got to walk around on, that covered a wide expanse of the bay. You could either stay down near the shoreline, wandering the almost 3 mile long stretch of the beach, or head up into the hilly terrain, where a lot of the King Penguins reside. Their massive colony, the largest on the island at nearly 500,000, was further up from the beach, and to get there, you had to hike up these hills for a good twenty minutes. All along the way, you would find these solo Kings, just chilling, standing all by their lonesome, as if they were lost or just needed some alone me-time, away from the colony. If I were a penguin here, I would probably do the same, for when you were standing on the hill overlooking the colony, the noise was almost deafening. St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GPS Coordinates: 54°26'16.601" S 36°11'22.205" W
