20 dec. 2023 - Day 9 - Foyn Harbour and Portal Point - 64°30.3’S / 61°54.1’W
Morning - Foyn Harbour
What an amazing morning. The weather was great and the water was very smooth as we laid anchor in Foyn Harbour. There should be humpback whales about, so we went out on the zodiacs. It soon became clear there were a lot of whales around, and they were al very relaxed feeding on all the krill in the harbour. We got very close on the zodiacs and whales almost graced our boats while coming up for air after a dive. Whenever a whale comes up for air you can see and hear a loud blow as they exhale with a large plum of water. The size and graceful movement of the animals was a sight to behold.
As they were feeding in shallow water loaded with krill the whales were very relaxed and even seemed a bit curious about our little boats (although this could just be wishful thinking).
One of the more extraordinary sights at Foyn Harbour is the shipwreck of an old Norwegian whaling factory ship. The ship was called Guvernoren and was lost after a fire broke out. And unsurprisingly whale-oil is VERY inflammable.
The whalers were very lucky and were saved by other ships in the area. Currently, it is a very rusty reminder and Antarctic terns use it as a nice place to build a nest. As we left the shipwreck we even found a half-lost wooden rescue boat with a young seal pub right beside it.
Afternoon - Portal Point
In the afternoon we visited Portal Point.
