Whale watching in South Georgia

Scientists have reported seeing an unprecedented 55 blue whales off the UK sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, during a recent 23-day survey.

South Georgia is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia itself and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. Whether this is a sign of increasing numbers, or a shift in distribution due to feeding conditions, is yet to be clarified. Blue whales are rarely seen in the Antarctic or sub-Antarctica, and usually alone. 

The waters around South Georgia are teeming with krill - the food of choice for many whales and other species - transported in strong currents from the Antarctic, making the area a perfect feeding ground. This is also the reason that the island was at the centre of the prolific whale-hunting industry in the early 1900s, when blue whales were reduced to just a few hundred (an astonishing 363,648 were killed in Antarctic waters altogether). However, it seems that the ban on hunting, which came into effect worldwide in 1966, may now be starting to achieve positive results.

Humpback and southern right whales, as well as many other whale species, such as killer, sei, fin and Antarctic minke, are now a regular sight around South Georgia and the surrounding waters. The same appears to be true for other whale species, with Southern right whale numbers doubling every 10 to 12 years now that they are protected from whaling. 

Global humpback whale populations have been growing exponentially from an all-time low of 10,000, when whaling finally stopped, to a minimum of 140,000 today. About 70% of these can be found in the Southern Hemisphere. Swoop offers the South Georgia, Antarctica & Falklands Luxury Explorer, a 21-day cruise that also takes in Antarctica and the Falklands.

Website: www.theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au

• www.swoop-antarctica.com/cruises/south-georgia/luxury-explorer