Navy vet Neil O'Connor was a guest aboard National Geographic Orion this past season. Here is the story of this 91 year old's poignant return to the island of Attu in the Aluetian Islands chain.
See spectacular wildlife photos taken aboard National Geographic Orion in the Bering Sea. National Geographic photographers captured brown bears, arctic fox, killer whales, bald eagles and many other animals in the region.
The islands and coasts that ring the Bering Sea are teeming with birdlife and fascinating land mammals like muskox, arctic fox, and brown bears; while the surrounding waters are churning with whales, seals, otters, and more.
Inhabited mainly by wildlife and strikingly picturesque, the Kuril Islands are a land of extremes—of snow and volcanoes, of sea lions and arctic foxes. Learn more about this remote and remarkable place.
We spent the day at sea enjoying life onboard National Geographic Orion . Leaving Norfolk Island and the tropics in our wake, we steered a course 137.5 degrees to the south, destination- Aotearoa. We were entertained by the onboard facilities, enjoyed a scrumptious brunch, and a surprise Fruhschoppen (sausages, pretzels, and pints). We were also regaled with information from the natural history staff about our upcoming destination, the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand.
There are few capital cities in the world that contain just 3000 people and where you can quite legitimately see everything there is to see in one day. Port Stanley is one of them. Sailing in on flat, mirror calm seas, National Geographic Endurance entered from the outer harbour beneath skies filled with birds – cormorants, geese, and the Falklands thrush. These islands, located as they are so many miles from the nearest landmass, have a unique ecology. We spent the day looking at plenty of it as we toured the town in the morning. Our local guides took us on a scenic tour of the nooks and crannies of Stanley. We lifted the lid on the history of the Lady Elizabeth , a rusting iron hulk of a sailing barque that was damaged as it rounded Cape Horn. Sinking our hands into moist peat above town, we reflected on the island’s recent past and its diversity.
The grand finale of an astonishing week ended with our visit to Genovesa. This is one of the most incredible places in Galapagos and is known as the island of the birds because the great number and variety of land and sea birds seen here. Genovesa has unique creatures like the short-eared owl we saw along our walk, the large cactus finch, and the large ground finch, both unique birds found nowhere else. The snorkeling was superb, with some inquisitive sea lions that were playing with our enthusiastic guests. Kayakers enjoyed the ride along the magical cliff that forms the ring of the caldera at Darwin Bay. We have had an amazing week exploring this enchanted archipelago.
Today was nice and relaxing as we made our way south towards Norfolk Island. We had some presentations in the morning, some music, and another presentation in the afternoon, but mostly today was about simply enjoying our time onboard the ship while we bide our time in anticipation for our exciting day tomorrow.
The sun brought us calmer seas this morning. Impressive waves were handled quite well overnight, as National Geographic Endurance was built to do just that. The fog lifted this morning, and seabirds came back into view. Petrels and albatrosses graced the skies. As we sail toward the Falklands, we got an introduction to the birds of the islands, followed by a talk about the history of the Falklands and life on the islands by two staff members who grew up there! There is no better way to learn about a place than by listening to the locals. During lunch, Captain Oliver and the incredible Bridge team spotted type A killer whales! Everybody gathered on deck, and we were treated to a pod of about seven. It was a spectacular site to see out in the open ocean. Next stop: Stanley!