Onwards towards the whales

I was sad to leave the gorgeous lodge behind but we had to press of for an eight hour navigation to the whale watching base.  Just as we rounded the point there were dolphins!  Sadly they were going the other way so there was only a brief glimpse of them.

The weather was still very calm so we spent a lot of time on deck, watching the birdlife, admiring the rugged landscape and hoping for whales. I had two good naps, which helped me catch up on some missing sleep.

Cabo Froward: the southern most tip of the continent.
The rock to the right of the lighthouse clearly shows the force tectonic plates where 
it is folded – very impressive considering  it's granite!

Effortless glider: giant southern petrel

Up closer

Kelp goose

Kelp geese and Magellanic penguins

Fur seal lion and red headed vulture

Red headed vulture

Another effortless glider: albatross

Fur sea lions

Southern skua; wondering what's happening . . .

. . . coming closer . . .

. . . checking the boat out and deciding that there's no food.

Albatross

Rock cormorants nesting near the camp.
We've seen a huge number of different types of cormorants on our travels,
from the equator on south.  They're still just shags though . . .

The dome tent camp on Carlos III Island

Carlos III Island is set in the first marine reserve in Chile.  It is an amazing area because of how the  Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet in the Straits of Magellan -  this creates incredible currents and a richness in sea life that brings the whales and many other species.

Board walk up to the observation station

At the observation station Marcelo told us more about the project studying humpback whales and other sea life in the area.  We headed back down to a delicious dinner cooked by Rodrigo, then it was time to head  to bed in the dome tents, surrounded by pristine silence, ready for some serious whale watching in the morning.