South Georgia

Iceberg A23a — until recently the world’s largest iceberg

From the Falkland Islands, we began a long journey mostly eastward to South Georgia island. We spent three full days at sea before reaching this very remote and very rugged corner of the earth. The first two days were pretty uneventful. But on the third day we started to get a taste of what the world is like in the Southern Ocean — especially when we came across Iceberg A23a, a phenomenon of unbelievable scale.

This iceberg broke off from Antarctica in 1986. It was the largest iceberg on earth, with a surface area of 1,500 square miles, about the size of Luxembourg. It weighed a trillion tons. For its first 30 years it settled on the ocean floor near the continent. But in 2020 it freed itself and began moving northward. When it reached the somewhat warmer waters near South Georgia in 2025 it began shrinking and breaking into smaller pieces. These walls are still miles long and stick up 130 feet above the water. And the other 90% remains below the surface. It is mind-boggling to see.

We see lots and lots of icebergs as we approached South Georgia, though none are anything like the scale of A23a

A sunset from our dinner table aboard Le Lyrial

South Georgia — today part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands — was first discovered in 1675 by Anthony de la Roché, who named it after himself. Captain James Cook was the first to land here, and he renamed it for his king, George III, as Isle of Georgia. For the next century seal hunters frequently came to make their fortunes. And by the early 20th century whaling stations were established. Some 175,000 whales were caught in these waters and brought to processing plants here to extract and export whale oil.

That industry came to an end in the 1960s, only after causing immense damage to the ecosystem of South Georgia — and largely wiping out the whale population. But more recent conservation efforts are a model of success. An eradication program has removed deer, rats, and mice introduced by the whalers. Serious fishing regulation and visitor monitoring have helped restore the native populations of flora, fauna, and marine life. The island is again home to millions of Antarctic fur seals, several hundred thousand King penguins, and tens of millions of native birds. And the whale population is growing healthy again.

So far we’ve spent one day exploring South Georgia, and we’ve got two more days ahead of us. Our first landing was at Salisbury Plain, where we were greeted by huge numbers of fur seals and King penguins. Rain and gloom added to the drama of the landscape but made it rough to take pictures. But eventually the rain let up and made for a much more enjoyable visit. Later that afternoon we went ashore at Fortuna Bay, a beautiful enclosed harbor where the weather was so calm and sunny it was like we were in a radically different place. Everybody had to shed all the layers we were wearing.

We’re got two more days of adventure here in South Georgia, but I’ve got to get these pics posted before they build up too much. You’re going to see a fair number of penguins and seals here, but don’t worry, lots more are coming!