Elephant Island - Icebergs and Penguins - 7
“The captain plays with the ice”
Deception Island
Antarctic Peninsula
From Antarctica to the Pacific coast of South America
Patagonian Glacier World
The Long Journey Home
Final thoughts and helpful tips
February 8, 2026 - Elephant Island
The ship has to travel quite a distance overnight. It is 278 nautical miles (515 kilometers) to Elephant Island. Shortly after 10 a.m., the north coast of the island appears in the fog. It is -1.5 degrees Celsius and snowing lightly again.
As with South Georgia, I won't repeat the whole story of Shackleton[↗] and his failed expedition here. In any case, the Chileans took the opportunity to erect a statue here in honor of Captain Luis Alberto Pardo [↗], who ultimately rescued Frank Wild [↗] and his men.
We won't be landing here. Instead, there's an hour-long ride in the Zodiacs. I've got more than an hour to kill before it’s my turn.
It's cold and snowing. The swell, the waves crashing against the ship, is higher than usual. The Zodiac is difficult to hold at the entry hatch. Today, four sailors are helping to make sure everyone gets into the boat safely.
When you see how small the section is where Frank Wild and his men endured for months, and then consider that it is late summer at the moment, it is hard to believe that everyone really survived.
Despite the weather, the hour flies by and everyone in the boat would probably not have minded another round.
Already this morning, I thought I saw another ship in the fog, but then I wasn't sure if it was an iceberg. In the afternoon, the captain confirms that it was the Oosterdam from Holland America Line, a ship with a good 1900 passengers. They probably didn't get much out of the visit. The fog meant visibility was poor, and with a ship that size, no one is allowed to leave the deck. Interestingly, we outpace the much larger ship in the course of the afternoon/evening.
Norwegian cuisine is on the menu for dinner today. This initially leads to a few questions or does anyone know what Hjort Carpaccio is? It's stag. Turns out it had a very unique flavor (not so much the meat, but the combination with sour cream and cranberries). The rest of the meal was delicious as usual, though.
Tomorrow will be another early start. We'll reach the Antarctic Sound and the Weddell Sea.
