A 5:30am sunrise beach landing at Gold Harbor can only be described as spectacular as your zodiac dodges the many swimming marine mammals to make its way to the shoreline where you need to jump out into the surf ever wary of the massive Elephant Seals and aggressive Fur Seals which are coming and going from every direction. Landing at Gold Harbor can be a sensory overload between the sights, sounds and smells. Once on shore the sights are amazing as you survey the miles of beach lined shoulder to shoulder with Elephant Seals, birthing, mating, burping and fighting. Everywhere you turn there seems to be curious Elephant Seal pups called “Wieners” who will often come right up to you to check you out. Next you will notice the sounds and smells of the King & Gentoo Penguin colonies with tens of thousands of animals. As you wander the beach weaving between the Seals and Penguins you approach the King Penguin colony filled with thousands of 9 month old brown, fluffy King Penguin chicks known as “Okum Boys”. It’s amazing to watch these goofy fluff balls wandering about bumping into each other squawking and swatting each other with their stubby wings. This picturesque 5 mile bay is surrounded by massive steep rocky snow covered peaks which periodically explode with the sounds of avalanches plummeting down towards the sea. A visit to Gold Harbor can only be described as awe-inspiring.

Check out our South Georgia Blog at: https://billklipp.zenfolio.com/blog/2018/2/Antarctica-Wanderings-III---South-Georgia-Island-1

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