We were a long way South of South Georgia when the alarm went off on the first full day on the crossing from South Georgia to Elephant Island. However, as it was almost three full days of travelling, we still had a lot of sea to cover. But I was pleased that while it was choppy, it wasn't too rough, especially as the Drake Passage can host some of the harshest sea conditions in the world.
Snowy Wandering Albatross: The local breeding subspecies in this part of the Southern Oceans is exulans, which breeds on South Georgia, Prince Edward, Crozet, Heard & Kerguelen Islands
Snowy Wandering Albatross
Snowy Wandering Albatross: This individual gave us a nice close pass
Cape Petrel: I only saw two Cape Petrels during the day
Black-bellied Storm-petrel: The broad-based wings suggests this isn't a Wilson's Storm-petrel
Black-bellied Storm-petrel: As it turned, it was apparent that it was a Black-bellied Storm-petrel
We passed another large iceberg as we headed South
There was clearly a strong Easterly wind
The clear highlights were the eight Blue Petrels seen during the day, as well as, a pod of five Hourglass Dolphins which eluded the camera. Superficially, the Blue Petrels look like Prions, however, the face pattern, the partial breast band and the white tail tip quickly shows it's a Blue Petrel and not a Prion.
Blue Petrel: The stronger facial pattern and the white tail tips indicates this is a Blue Petrel
Blue Petrel: This monotypic species breeds on Islands off Cape Horn & Subantarctic Islands in the Southern Oceans
Blue Petrel: They are a nice-looking Seabird
Blue Petrel: Note the white forehead, more contrasting facial pattern and the partial breast band
