Elephant Island: Point (Wild) of No Return

Thursday January 24th 2024
Point Wild
Elephant Island

Expedition Morning

06:45 Wake-up call

This morning, depending on wind, weather and ice conditions, we may attempt a zodiac exploration in the Point Wild area.

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“A forbidding-looking place, certainly, but that only made it seem the more pitiful. It was the refuge of twenty-two men who, at that very moment, were camped on a precarious, storm-washed spit of beach, as helpless and isolated from the outside world as if they were on another planet.”

Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage

Elephant Island, which I’m guessing was named after some famous explorer that was an Elephant, was shrouded in dense fog, giving it a gloomy and unwelcome appearance. However, for the men of the Endurance, who had spent 33 days navigating treacherous seas, it represented a lifeline—another chance at survival. It was here on an exposed point that the men set up camp while Shackleton and five others sailed to South Georgia Island in search of help.

Zodiac Rodeo

It was touch and go on whether we would be able to take the zodiacs out. Although there were no winds, the swells were about two meters high (or ten feet…maybe…we don’t know, we’re Americans.) making getting into the zodiacs a potential obstacle course for most passengers. Jonathan urged only those who felt confident about their ability to board a wild, bucking Zodiac to come out for the excursion. Due to the size of the swells, it was decided that the Zodiacs would go out to Point Wild in shifts. This was to minimize the number of people out in the water at the same time, especially if conditions worsened.

Gus decided not to bother going since visibility from the fog got worse and he wondered if we would be able to capture any good photographs. But me? I was willing to risk it, even if it meant making a medical claim on my travel insurance. Elephant Island is such a huge part of the Shackleton lore that I had to see it up close and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Boarding the zodiac was like riding a mechanical bull where one had to time it just right hoping the boat wouldn’t throw us off. I was the first aboard, and got to watch as my fellow zodiac mates cautiously teetered into the rocking boat. We had a close call when a crew member lost his balance and almost took an involuntary plunge into the icy water. Thankfully, we all got in safely and steered clear of the gangway to “safety.” Hooray for teamwork! We headed straight to Point Wild, slicing through thick fog and ice fields. Although Gus didn’t join us he did take these pictures of us from the ship.

Live action video of Point Wild

After about 30 minutes we went back to the ship where getting off the zodiac onto the gangway was even more harrowing.  The swells had gotten bigger, and there were a few tense moments as it took about four attempts for the crew to secure the boat to the gangway. But hey, in the crew we trust!

Wildlife Feeding Extravaganza

After leaving Elephant Island, we sailed past Cornwallis Island where we first spotted a bunch of whale spouts out in the distance.  As we made our way towards the action, we found ourselves in the middle of a spectacular feeding frenzy. There were Fin Whales, Humpbacks, hundreds of Chinstrap Penguins, a few Gentoos, and thousands of seabirds all gorging in a literal “all you can eat” seafood buffet.

Whales circled our boat, swallowing vast quantities of krill, while groups of hundreds of penguins porpoised, eagerly chasing their meals, and diving birds swooped down to gulp mouthfuls of fish and krill. It was estimated that we were surrounded by at least 50 whales, possibly even more. The scene was so extraordinary that it was tough to focus with all the action unfolding before us.

The rest of this extraordinary day was spent in lectures and capped off with music from Jeff and Jacinthe.

Note: We were disappointed to learn that there were NO elephants on Elephant Island.