We woke today excited to visit the remote, majestic destination of Macquarie Island, or “Macca,” as the local Aussies call it. As we slowly closed the distance between National Geographic Orion and Macca, our National Geographic photo expert enlightened us about how to create powerful images during his presentation entitled, “Light, Composure, Moment.”
The weather forecast didn’t look promising as Macquarie loomed in the distance. Our expedition team scouted the area and landing site only to find poor weather, signifying that a landing wasn’t in the cards. We are always ready to switch gears on an expedition, and we began to cruise along the 34-kilometre stretch that is Macquarie Island. We appreciated the rugged, remote landscape before us. During our second lap around the isle of dense megaherbs and abundant wildlife, we were gifted with a sighting of a pod of Type A orcas swimming and feeding in the nutrient-dense waters. What appeared to be several family pods swam together and put on a show for around 45 minutes. They entertained the entire ship as they swam in packs of up to 15 individuals.
With the orcas eventually leaving behind our ship, it was time for recap. We were entertained as we learned about tomorrow’s activities. Afterwards, a delicious Australian barbecue was served to signify our entrance into Australian waters.
