| Revisiting South Georgia (5) - Fortuna Bay & Fortuna Glacier |
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Fortuna Bay & Fortuna Glacier - Blog 5 At sunrise we motored from our anchorage in Antarctic Bay into the rough open ocean before rounding Cape Best and anchoring just inside the mouth to Fortuna Bay. We landed out near the open sea on the backside of Cape Best and I would estimate there were a thousand King Penguins along that stretch of the beach and Elephant Seals on the beach in front. Again there were no fur seals to avoid. It is the start of Elephant Seal breeding season. The males are generally the first to come ashore and they stake out prime territory, from their point of view. They try to gather arriving females into their harem. The females are arriving to give birth to the previous years pups. As the numbers swell other males begin challenging the successful dominant males, called beach masters, for these harems. Some of the males simply try to steal outlier females for their own groups. To become a beach master once in the lifetime of these males means that he is a successful breeder. It is a very difficult time, however, because the beach master has no time for eating, sleeping or relaxing his vigil. Somehow they do find time to mate. As the season unfolds the males are literally worn down and often replaced by fresher challengers. Fierce fights often breakout between the largest most aggressive males. These usually last a few minutes and are concluded once one of the two establishes his dominance. Occasionally the battles go on much longer and sometimes are to the death. Fatalities may be more common than can be observed as the loser may leave the area and die from his wounds somewhere else. These battles are titanic affairs with both males rearing up to their full height, perhaps as much as 8 or 9 feet, and throwing their 7 or 8 tons of body weight into the opponent. Both have their huge mouths wide opening, bellowing at full voice and slashing the other fellow with their considerable weaponry of teeth. As I walked up the beach I saw a large male peeking over the tide line and clearly sizing up a beach master and the harem down the beach. A while later I returned. The peeking male suddenly moved with speed and flexibility toward the harem. He challenged the beach master of the harem with a roar. Soon they were crashing together and causing enormous wounds in each other. They were covered in flowing blood and they continued with neither giving up to the other. The battle raged for more than 30 minutes with very little let up. They were chest to chest and the sound of it was like the continuous crashing at a demolishing derby. At most they would lock-up together, sink their teeth into one another and then lean against one another for a minute or two before pulling away, inflicting an additional wicked gash. Jerome decided to make a run for Carlita Bay within the Cumberland Bay. Along the way we made a small detour to see Hercules Bay that contains a Macaroni Penguin colony, a number nesting light-mantled sooty albatrosses and southern giant petrels. Segments of the reindeer herd are often seen here too, but the day had become a little too overcast and threatening for us to spend much time so we headed back out to sea and our planned night’s safe haven. It was at Carlita Bay that we saw reindeer on the beach. The wind was rising and we decided to stay on board. Links: http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/wildlife/SEALS/s_elephant.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/Glacier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidewater_glacier_cycle
Revisiting South Georgia: Previous Blog : Blog 4 < > Next Blog : Blog 6 |
For this reason I will say less and less about these “housekeeping” or “normal conditions.” That is not to say that there are no variations. Variations I will try to elaborate. But anyone thinking they want to go to South Georgia, or any place in the Southern Ocean, in order to shop, to dine in interesting restaurant or enjoy sunshine and pleasant weather would be misinformed about what to expect. Shopping malls will not be present, but good weather, and when it is good it is truly wonderful and beautiful, does happen and I will comment on that too. This is not to be Pollyannaish, but to share with you that the event does happen. As I have written several times elsewhere, one always takes the day and its weather as a good day and attempts a landing or hiking exploration. Only when landing is dangerous should it be avoided. Getting very wet, sea sick or very cold may be the best a day or a week has to offer in these places. Dress for the worst conditions. Take them as truly a part of this wilderness. When you are properly prepared I hope you would gain joy, as I do, in being here under all the variations of circumstance.
Fortuna was the name of the first whale-catcher to operate out of Grytviken Whaling Station. At the far end of Fortuna Bay is Whistle Cove with the Koenig Glacier behind the beach. This is the terminus of Shackleton’s trek over the mountains from King Haakon Bay. He then trekked from here the 5.5 kilometers to Stromness Whaling Station to the southwest. We were here to photograph Elephant Seals and the King Penguin colony. It is worth noting that Fortuna Glacier, a tidewater glacier, see reference sites below, the largest glacier in South Georgia sits above Fortuna Bay to the northwest and one must climb the steep hills and cliffs along the bay to access it.
The Elephant Seals not only peek over barriers, but they have a way of lifting their massive bodies up by rocking back and forth as they shape their bodies into a semi-circle. While at the height of the arc of the rocking they look around the landscape. This guy was being very stealthy. I passed him with hardly any acknowledgement that I was walking by. His concentration was focused on the harem and beach master down the beach.
Their mouths poured blood and it looked like neither could survive such a brutal beating. It became so gory to me personally I turned away and headed back to the zodiac. Jerome had been watching this fight and he told me later that he had never seen one last so long or be so ferocious. He said that the intruder, peeking-over-the-tide-line male had won and became the new beach master. No one could imagine what would happen if a fresher, new male showed up and challenged the drenched in blood winner. The defeated beach master pulled himself into the sea and swam away. If you asked my opinion: I did not think either one could survive the wounds they inflicted on each other. 
