The island of South Georgia is only about 100 miles long and less than 25 wide, but it is dramatic in every other way - landscape, weather, wildlife, history. Sealing began in the late 1700s and whaling in the late 1800s which continued to 1965. Shackleton reached the island in 1916 in the James Caird after crossing 800 miles of sea to set in place the rescue of the Enurance crew stranded on Elephant Island. The upwelling of nutrients around the island lures large numbers of fish, birds, seals, and whales. More than a million King Penguins breed here, along with 60 million other seabirds. Millions of seals rule the beaches during breeding season.
© Mariann Cyr