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00:00There are places in the world that have the power to change us.
00:04Antarctica, a stunning continent like no other.
00:09Julia Bradbury's Wonders of the Frozen South,
00:11brought to you by HX Expeditions.
00:17The Frozen South.
00:21Untamed, unforgiving, and awe-inspiring.
00:26The last true wilderness.
00:31I'm Julia Bradbury, join me on an epic adventure to the edge of the world.
00:37I'm setting sail on a 4,000-mile voyage.
00:41Wow! Look at this place!
00:43From the rugged beauty of the Falklands...
00:46And they are little rock stars, the way they look.
00:48Oh, I could just stay here for days watching this.
00:52Through the wilderness of South Georgia...
00:54This is what it sounds like to be surrounded by more than 100,000 king penguins.
01:01All the way to the great white continent, Antarctica.
01:07Look at this, sideways snow, 30-mile-an-hour winds.
01:11There's a reason why humans don't live here.
01:15With close encounters of the wildest kind.
01:19Three whales servicing at the same time.
01:22Oh, thank you very much.
01:25What a show.
01:27I'll explore land.
01:29It is simply stunning.
01:32Sea.
01:33And look at this.
01:35And ice.
01:36Oh, look, it's breaking up!
01:37Oh, my gosh!
01:38Oh, my gosh!
01:39What a spectacle!
01:42It's just extraordinary!
01:44Wow!
01:49As I journey through this fragile ecosystem...
01:53We have to do all our best to protect the wonders that South Georgia has.
01:58It would be very sad if we would lose images like this.
02:02I'll discover how these incredible animals survive and thrive in one of the planet's most hostile places.
02:10This is just heaven at the edge of the Earth.
02:27I'm sailing through some of the wildest waters on the planet.
02:32This is the South Atlantic, where nutrient-rich currents flow for thousands of miles,
02:39drawing whales and seabirds into one of Earth's great ocean highways.
02:45We're getting further and further south.
02:48The weather is becoming crisper and cooler.
02:51I've been waiting days to see this.
02:56To explore the frozen South, I've travelled from the tip of South America
03:00and through the pristine Falkland Islands.
03:03After several days at sea, I'm reaching South Georgia,
03:07one of the world's most extraordinary islands.
03:14The only way to get up close to this remote stretch of coast
03:18is on the ship's landing craft.
03:24We are about to see a huge number of king penguins.
03:28Last estimate, 60,000 breeding pairs.
03:32And yes, those little white docks reaching far up into the mountains are penguins.
03:41Salisbury Plain is a vast, sweeping beach on the north coast of South Georgia
03:45and is home to one of the greatest concentrations of marine wildlife anywhere on the planet.
03:53Everybody who's visited this island says it's epic, awesome and just the most wonderful experience.
04:00This is a real moment to be stepping foot on South Georgia.
04:05You can hear them already.
04:07The beach is packed with life as thousands of southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals jostle for space with
04:16the penguins.
04:17Look at these monsters. Humongous beasts.
04:25The fur seals here are fiercely territorial.
04:29Males bellow and clash with rivals to protect their haremes.
04:34While females snap and bite to defend their space on the crowded beaches.
04:42So we've got a face-off between fur seals here.
04:47They're all making that funny squeaky noise, which is not funny in any way.
04:53Oh, hello.
04:56I think there are more.
04:59Very difficult to predict where they're going to go and what they're going to do.
05:03You don't really know who they're peeved at.
05:06It could be you or it could be several other seals in the vicinity.
05:11What you don't want to do is get caught in the middle.
05:15These fast, powerful seals stand between me and one of the world's biggest king penguin colonies.
05:22I need to keep five metres from the animals.
05:24So I'm getting advice from HX Expedition's guide, Lara Hudson.
05:29So we have to be very mindful of the rules and regulations that we have here, but keep our distance.
05:34And if we do upset anyone, we have the pole.
05:37So if you put it out like this, most of them will stop.
05:40And if they still persist, then you can use it to brush their whiskers.
05:44They can come from the left, they can come from the right, they can come from behind.
05:47So you have to be vigilant.
05:50Right, it's time to make the crossing.
05:53The guides have mapped out a route for me to follow.
05:56They're surprisingly camouflaged.
05:58But I'm not so sure the seals got the same briefing.
06:02You've got to be so careful.
06:07Do not let that sweet little noise deter you from the fact that they mean business.
06:23That was a moment.
06:26My first aggressive fur seal encounter.
06:30Luckily, there were two of them to distract each other.
06:33These fur seals are fiercely protecting their territory.
06:37And it doesn't matter how much advice you're given about what to do with your pole as they're approaching you.
06:42Your heart starts beating at a thousand beats per minute.
06:45And instinctively, you just want to move out of the way, but not too quickly.
06:51I've made it through Seal Alley, reaching the King Penguins at last.
07:01This is insane.
07:08Such a sight to behold.
07:11It really is.
07:14More than a hundred thousand King Penguins here, in front of our very eyes.
07:27South Georgia is known as the Kingdom of the Kings.
07:30There's an almost constant cycle of breeding, where eggs hatch and chicks are reared, ensuring the survival of the colony
07:38year after year.
07:40This is what it sounds like to be surrounded by more than a hundred thousand King Penguins.
07:52Rob Lidstone Scott is one of the ship's ornithologists, who has spent decades studying these birds.
07:59So, as we look at this colony, we're seeing an extraordinary array of kings at different stages of their life,
08:05even eggs.
08:06Absolutely. We've got adults, we've got malting adults, we've got the brown-coated chicks, and somewhere in the middle of
08:12the colony there will be birds on eggs as well.
08:13But why is it such a colossal colony here?
08:17So, King Penguins have increased, I mean, they're one of the success stories.
08:21Their breeding system is so manic, they don't have time to waste.
08:24They have two attempts every three years.
08:28Finish with one attempt, they'll go out to sea, they'll feed up, they'll come back, they'll molt, get into their
08:33finery, and then it's straight on finding a partner.
08:36It may not be the same one as last time.
08:38It's just, you need to crack on, let's find a new partner, sort of thing.
08:43And the behaviour is extraordinary and so beautiful to watch.
08:48These are my favourite penguins. I love watching the behaviour.
08:51In the courtship, you get two walking together, standing very tall, and then the third one joins in, like a
08:56bit of a gooseberry, and it's just fascinating to watch.
08:58I can see a group I'm looking at now, maybe a bit of wings slapping. Fantastic.
09:05Why is this location, Salisbury, significant and special, and why should we be protecting it?
09:11Indeed. Well, I mean, you can see that the King Penguins, their favourite breeding sites are these glacial outwash areas,
09:18and Salisbury Plain is one of the largest.
09:21So, this is their preferred habitat, and clearly gives really good access to the sea and straight into the feeding
09:28grounds.
09:28And when you look at a site like this, it's just breathtaking, isn't it?
09:31It really is.
09:32We have to do all our best to protect the wonders that South Georgia has.
09:36It would be very sad if we were to lose images like this.
09:45Watching them interact with one another is a really emotional experience.
09:51This is such a vision, but it does make you just appreciate the wonder of wildlife.
10:07Antarctica, a stunning continent like no other.
10:11Julia Bradbury's Wonders of the Frozen South, brought to you by HX Expeditions.
10:17Antarctica, a stunning continent like no other.
10:22Julia Bradbury's Wonders of the Frozen South, brought to you by HX Expeditions.
10:33I'm travelling through the South Atlantic, off the windswept shores of South Georgia, first claimed by Captain James Cook in
10:401775.
10:43Cut off from the rest of the world, its extreme isolation puts it beyond the reach of most vessels.
10:50So, I'm heading out on an expedition boat for a closer look.
10:54I'm about to head out and we're not steaming ahead to a landing, which is nice.
11:04It means we're going to have some time to explore these waters at a gentler pace.
11:12Fingers crossed for lots of good sighting.
11:18After exploring the beauty of Salisbury Plain on the north coast of South Georgia, I've sailed east, tracing this jagged
11:25coastline towards Prince Olaf Harbour, a narrow inlet tucked into the cliffs.
11:34It's an ecosystem teeming with life above the waves and beneath the water's surface.
11:41This scenery reminds me of the Lake District on rocket fuel.
11:45And I have been in the Lake District when it's snowing many times, but I've never seen icebergs.
11:55South Georgia is a seal stronghold.
11:58Around half the world's southern elephant seals come here every year to breed and molt.
12:04I'm really hoping to see elephant seals in their natural habitat in the water, but of course, who knows if
12:12they're going to play ball.
12:13The waters here are home to 95% of the world's Antarctic fur seals, who return year after year to
12:21raise the next generation.
12:22Look, look at that. Oh, that is so beautiful.
12:27HX Expedition's marine biologist Jenna Silk has spent much of her career following the lives of these seals.
12:35These are Antarctic fur seals.
12:37Sometimes they do this, just slowly drift through the water, spinning as they go, just enjoying life, I guess.
12:46This is magical.
12:51In the early 20th century, Antarctic fur seals were hunted almost to extinction for their skins and oil.
12:59Their numbers here have now rebounded to around 4 million.
13:06The fur seals are being very playful now. Look at them.
13:09Oh!
13:12We've got two dancing on either side of the boat.
13:17Just...
13:18Herouetting.
13:22Watching them glide through the water is so very different to watching them on land.
13:28Look how graceful they are.
13:29And that goes for the elephant seals too. Streamline and agile in the water.
13:36We're going to go into a lagoon, a narrow area called Elephant Lagoon, historically named for having elephant seals.
13:43And hopefully we'll find some in there today. Who knows?
13:47Elephant seals are masters of the deep. Diving over 1,500 metres below the surface.
13:53Staying submerged for up to two hours. They come ashore to rest and breed.
13:59We've got a few of them at nine o'clock. A group of females perhaps.
14:03Hello.
14:04We've got a seal just behind us as well.
14:06Look at this, everywhere you look.
14:08These are two young males wrestling. So they don't have a chance with any females this year.
14:13They haven't got the really thick necks yet. So they're not fully mature until they're seven years old.
14:20But they will wrestle because that helps them to gain fitness and practice.
14:24They're doing a little workout.
14:26Exactly. There's a leucistic fur seal.
14:29Oh, what is a leucistic fur seal?
14:32So a leucistic fur seal is where they've lost the melanin, or at least partially lost the melanin in their
14:38fur.
14:39So it's different to albinism. It just affects either feathers, scales or fur.
14:44And it's about one in 1,000 born leucistic.
14:47One in 1,000. That's a good spot.
14:51And in front of us now, we've got a male elephant seal in the water.
14:54Huge bull.
14:56Be this close, it's just extraordinary.
15:00Looks a little like a hippopotamus from here.
15:03Oh, there's one poking its head up out of the tussock, looking around.
15:07This huge, sandy-coloured male elephant seal.
15:10Oh, yes. Look at him. He's enormous.
15:12Oh, look at him.
15:16Just magnificent.
15:17And a straight penguin.
15:19The lone ranger.
15:22Oh, look at this big one here.
15:24Look, look, look.
15:25Big male.
15:26Big male coming out of the water there.
15:29Why would he rear up like that, Jenna?
15:31It's just the way that he's now climbing up towards the beach.
15:35So he's shifting his body weight like a slug or like a caterpillar.
15:39Look at the size of him.
15:41The most distinctive feature of these seals is their snout-like proboscis.
15:45So it's an elongated nose, which is what gives them the name elephant seal.
15:50Extraordinary looking, they really are.
15:52So when these big bulls are in full breeding age, they will roar at each other very loudly.
15:58Sounds like an extremely loud belch.
16:03And that is the sound that they try to use to intimidate other males that might be trying to steal
16:08their females.
16:12It's such a special place.
16:18These waters are nicknamed the Serengeti of the south because they are so rich in wildlife.
16:24And today certainly proved that.
16:34South Georgia feels like a land almost untouched by humans.
16:38But it's clear this fragile ecosystem still needs our protection to preserve it for generations to come.
16:49South Georgia feels like a land.
16:50Spending time here makes me realise how rare and irreplaceable this hidden world really is.
16:58You learn a lot about yourself on a long trip like this.
17:02I do lots of journaling.
17:04I write about things I'm doing, things I've seen, things I've experienced.
17:09I do a gratitude journal.
17:11Today I am grateful for this, for the huge mass of beautiful ocean and all the life that it offers
17:20us.
17:20And I'm always grateful when I learn something new, and I've learned so much on this trip.
17:26It's a sentiment that feels especially powerful, sailing past these jagged, snow-covered peaks that hold such raw beauty.
17:37Peggy Bluff, here we come.
17:41And to experience this stunning landscape up close, I'm heading inland to a deep, natural harbour in the shadow of
17:48South Georgia's infamous Allardyce Range.
17:52I can see some beautiful mountains.
17:55These are ripe for a hike.
17:59Beautiful. Look at that glacier over there.
18:02We've got to watch out for river seals and elephant seals on this landing.
18:07I am so excited!
18:10The area is known for its newly weaned elephant seals.
18:14Recently abandoned by their mothers and living off fat reserves, even at this age they can tip the scales at
18:21over 90 kilos.
18:24These are young elephant seals, incredibly endearing.
18:29They look cute and blubbery and they're making all these funny snorting noises here.
18:36A lot of...
18:39Quite a bit of snotty grunting noise.
18:42You heard one.
18:46It kind of reminds me of that moment after a big meal when everybody just flops on the sofa.
18:55Oh!
18:57Pardon me.
19:01South Georgia's highest peaks soar to almost 3,000 metres, their summits carved by ancient glaciers and lashed by relentless
19:10South Atlantic winds.
19:12Climbing here has always been a test of endurance.
19:15I just want to get a little bit higher up so I can take in all this magnificent scenery.
19:23Only a few thousand people get the chance to visit South Georgia each year and I'm one of the lucky
19:29few.
19:29Nature makes you feel incredibly humble and small.
19:36And when you're somewhere like this, it's such a privilege.
19:40Limiting visitor numbers is essential to preserve one of the planet's most remarkable pristine wild places.
19:49It's an extraordinary hike.
19:51It is beyond stunning.
19:54This is some of the freshest air I'm ever going to suck in.
20:00Oh, what a vantage point.
20:03Surrounded by mountains, with icebergs in the distance.
20:11It's truly breathtaking.
20:13This is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
20:17I'll remember this forever.
20:30Antarctica, a stunning continent like no other.
20:34Julia Bradbury's Wonders of the Frozen South.
20:38Brought to you by HX Expeditions.
20:41Antarctica, a stunning continent like no other.
20:45Julia Bradbury's Wonders of the Frozen South.
20:48Brought to you by HX Expeditions.
21:02South Georgia is like the Fort Knox of biodiversity security.
21:10On my journey through the frozen south, I'm navigating the isolated, untamed waters of South Georgia.
21:17One of the planet's most protected wild places.
21:22I do not want to let the team down.
21:25If you've got any splashed mud or dry bits of salt or anything on you, they won't let you on.
21:33And with good reason, they've got a very fragile biosphere to protect.
21:38It's all part of the anticipation and the build-up to stepping on land in South Georgia.
21:45Right. Excellent. Spotless.
21:53Hidden among the bays and coves are reminders of South Georgia's past.
21:59A century ago, seven whaling stations operated along these shores.
22:05More than 175,000 whales and countless seals were killed for their oil and meat.
22:15And this is one of the island's largest former whaling stations.
22:20The haunting settlement of Grytviken.
22:23Where rusty remains still cling to the shoreline.
22:29What an eerie, strange, rusty ghost town.
22:37And I bet there are some ghosts.
22:44The name Grytviken means pot bay, a nod to the giant containers used to render seal oil.
22:53During the station's lifetime, more than 450,000 tonnes of oil were processed here.
23:00At the start of the 20th century, this place was the epicentre of the whaling industry.
23:06Steam-powered boats hunted whales and then towed the carcasses back to the whaling stations.
23:16The blubber would be turned into oil, which was used as food, fertiliser and even in cosmetics.
23:25The sheer number of the whales involved is truly shocking.
23:32Whale hunting was banned here when they ran out of whales to slaughter.
23:39Dee Mitchell from the South Georgia Heritage Trust has spent years uncovering the story of the region's whaling industry.
23:49Dee, firstly, let's start with the size of this operation. I mean, it's huge, isn't it?
23:54Yeah, it is really on an industrial scale.
23:57And I think that gives you a sense of just how big an operation they were running here.
24:03How many men and women were there here?
24:05So, it was mostly men that worked here. And over the summer, there would have been around 400 men working
24:11here at the whaling station.
24:13Most of the workers here were Norwegian.
24:16And that was because the man who established the station here was a Norwegian called Carl Anton Larsson.
24:22But we also actually got a lot of Scots down here as well.
24:25And that was because there was another couple of whaling stations on South Georgia, Leith and Stromness.
24:31They were run by a company which actually had its offices in Edinburgh.
24:35So, a lot of Scots who were maybe looking to change their fortunes, because working here, you did earn a
24:40good amount of money, would come and work here.
24:43Tough life, though.
24:45Yeah, they would work six days a week, 12-hour days.
24:49It was dirty, smelly. It was also really dangerous. And industrial accidents were not uncommon.
24:54One of the tools they used was a steam-powered bone saw. And that was used for cutting through the
24:59whale bone.
25:00They were really dangerous bits of equipment.
25:02It is an interesting story of over-exploitation, but I think it's also important to remember the lives of the
25:08whalers that worked here.
25:11We're going past some extraordinary-looking bits of machinery. How did the process work?
25:16So, the whale would be landed, it would get brought up to the slipway at the edge of this big
25:20area here.
25:22And initially, they would cut the blubber from the whale.
25:25And this would be done by hand?
25:26And this would all be done by hand, by men known as flenzers.
25:29And they carried knives that came on a big, long stick with a big, curved blade at the end.
25:34And they'd cut into the blubber, and then they'd strip the blubber off.
25:37They've described it as looking a bit like peeling a banana.
25:39Ooh.
25:40Which is a horrible comparison, but it gives you an idea of what it would have looked like.
25:43Yeah.
25:44That blubber would then have been cooked until they could extract all the oil.
25:48Now, originally, when they first started hunting, they only used the blubber.
25:51And they actually then threw the rest of the carcass back into the sea.
25:55Oh my goodness, what a waste!
25:57What a waste!
25:58And also, after a while, you can imagine that whole bay would be filled with rotting whale carcasses.
26:03But after a little while, they actually brought in new rules that said they had to use the whole carcass.
26:08So after that, they also cooked the meat until they could extract the oil.
26:11And they would also extract the oil from the bone as well.
26:18It was a sad chapter in South Georgia's history.
26:23And today, the island is honouring the whales with a memorial
26:26to ensure their sacrifice isn't forgotten.
26:29And this is called the Key Table.
26:31And it's meant to show the impact on each species of whale that the whaling industry had.
26:37The sculpture is crafted from weathered steel and rivets, salvaged from the whaling machinery.
26:44Each of these rivets represents 50 whales that were lost during the whaling industry.
26:50So we've got the humpback whales, the southern right whales, fin whales, blue whales,
26:54all represented on this table.
26:57The fact that gets me every time is that they could process an entire fin whale from start to finish
27:03in just 20 minutes.
27:04Oh, that's very sad, isn't it, to think about it like that?
27:07Yeah, you're kind of like, gosh, 30 whales a day and the station operated for 60 years.
27:11That really kind of hammers home just the scale of what was happening here.
27:14And that's just the number of whales that were processed in South Georgia?
27:19Yeah, exactly.
27:20There were seven shore-based stations in total.
27:22And they caught and processed 175,000 whales.
27:25But there were also the pelagic whalers as well,
27:27these floating factory ships that were operating all across the Southern Ocean.
27:31So vast, vast numbers of whales over this long period of time.
27:34It's horrifying.
27:36This is a very, very moving piece of work.
27:46I'm the patron of a whale and dolphin conservation charity.
27:50And listening to the stories here today is a really shocking reminder of what happened.
27:58And I wish personally that we'd learn lessons from places like this.
28:04There are signs of hope.
28:06Since the end of commercial whaling,
28:09humpback populations have bounced back to nearly 90% of their pre-whaling numbers.
28:15With thousands now feeding in the South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean.
28:21The wonderful thing about South Georgia is that it's home to the wildlife and not to the humans.
28:27And even the areas where the humans have left their mark have been reclaimed by nature.
28:35Gritwiken bears witness to South Georgia's industrial past.
28:39And one of humanity's most extraordinary stories of survival.
28:45On a hillside above the settlement lies the final resting place of the legendary explorer,
28:51Sir Ernest Shackleton.
28:55Leaving most of his crew stranded in Antarctica after his ship Endurance had been crushed by ice,
29:01Shackleton and five men rode across the brutal Southern Ocean to South Georgia.
29:07And then faced an almost impossible challenge to cross the island's unmapped interior.
29:12Looking for help.
29:15This is just the most pristine, beautiful landscape.
29:21Mountains all around.
29:25The blue skies are just alive with wispy clouds.
29:33It is the perfect day to follow in Shackleton's footsteps.
29:42In the dead of winter, Shackleton and his exhausted crew forged their way across glaciers, over mighty peaks and through
29:51howling winds.
29:55I'm tracing part of their historic route.
30:00Shackleton is one of my son's heroes.
30:02So it's a big moment for me.
30:05You also can't help thinking about how difficult, how much more challenging it must have been back then.
30:11They had no maps, no technical equipment, and they'd already been on a 16 or 17 day sea voyage in
30:17a tiny lifeboat.
30:18So already I've got a head start.
30:28Look at this little fella.
30:30Skirting past.
30:32You just can't not smile, can you, when you see a penguin?
30:37For me, this is an opportunity to do an incredible hike.
30:44Looking around, taking in all the scenery.
30:46But for Shackleton and his team, they were tired, they were hungry.
30:52No doubt they were scared.
30:54They didn't care about the scenery.
30:56They had to survive and find civilization.
31:00I can't imagine that mindset at that time.
31:06Little huddle of penguins in the distance.
31:11Just magic.
31:12These mountains haven't changed shape in thousands of years.
31:17I'm just soaking in every last drop.
31:21This is a hike that I don't want to finish.
31:26Ugh!
31:29This is pretty deep snow.
31:33It reminds me of hiking in Hathersage with my dad.
31:37We used to head up to the snowdrifts and make igloos together.
31:42Pretty good snow.
31:46I think this is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
31:51This is Mother Nature at her finest.
31:59The landscape is stunning, but it's the epic story of endurance that still captivates people.
32:06Decades after Shackleton's treacherous journey.
32:09Including Pavel Rongis, my ship's historian.
32:13I've walked some of the footsteps.
32:15It's an incredible walk.
32:17The scenery is magnificent.
32:19Why is this waterfall so significant?
32:21This was the last real challenge, the last obstacle Shackleton had to pass.
32:26And today it's called the Shackleton waterfall, isn't it?
32:28Yes. Today it is.
32:29So what kind of gear would they have had?
32:33They did decide to go ultra light.
32:36They decided not to take any camping gear, any sleeping bags, no tents.
32:41They just took the primer stove to be able to prepare some hot drinks.
32:45And cross.
32:47In only 36 hours they crossed the island to get here and look for help.
32:52And what would they have been wearing?
32:54What kind of clothing?
32:55Whatever they had left.
32:56We can imagine that they were very well prepared for Antarctica expedition.
33:01But unfortunately it was already completely soaked for during the crossing, during the sailing from Elephant Island to South Georgia.
33:09For 16 days there were cover with waves every single day.
33:13So all the clothing was wet and dumped.
33:16What about food?
33:17What about supplies?
33:18What about survival in these conditions?
33:20They ate albatrosses which they had to hunt.
33:23So albatrosses?
33:24Seals?
33:25Seals.
33:26Most likely also penguins which are the easy catch.
33:28As we look around us now, I mean it's just the most majestic scenery.
33:33It's stunning.
33:34How much has it changed?
33:35When they were here it was 20th May.
33:38So the winter was already here.
33:41There was a lot of snow.
33:42It was all frozen.
33:44So we are in much less difficult condition than they were back in the day.
33:48It's impossible really to imagine, isn't it?
33:51Living the way that we do now with all of our creature comforts and all of our gear.
33:55It's very hard.
33:56It was a different generation.
33:59Yeah.
34:01Shackleton's escape from Antarctica is one of the greatest survival stories ever.
34:06A feat of endurance, courage and sheer determination.
34:11As he said himself, difficulties are just things to overcome after all.
34:18And that is what Shackleton and his men would have seen.
34:24Strongness whaling station.
34:29Now a rusty relic.
34:31But for them, well, the chance of rescue, civilization and an escape from death.
34:40I've done some pretty epic hikes in my time and I followed in some big footsteps.
34:46But this, this is a walk I can tell my grandkids about.
34:50This is something very special.
35:02Antarctica, a stunning continent like no other.
35:06Julia Bradbury's wonders of the frozen south.
35:09Brought to you by HX Expeditions.
35:32South Georgia lies beneath the Southern Ocean Storm Belt, a huge ring of water that circles the globe, unbroken by
35:39land.
35:41Winds here can top 80 miles an hour.
35:44Snow can fall all year round.
35:46The conditions shape everything.
35:51I'm very happy to be standing here, if I'm honest.
35:55It must be so cold and exposed on that beach.
36:00It looks unsurvivable.
36:03These are the conditions they've adapted to.
36:05This is what they're built for.
36:10As powerful westerly winds sweep across the land, the weather can change in an instant.
36:17But beneath these unpredictable seas, towering forests of kelp swaying with the currents, enduring the ocean's relentless falls.
36:32I'm heading out with the ship's expedition team and marine scientist Zoe Walker to uncover the secrets of this hidden
36:39world of kelp.
36:40An unsung wonder of the sea.
36:44About 20% of Earth's coastlines are covered in kelp.
36:47They need quite cold, nutrient-rich water.
36:50We only ever really see this little appetizer on the surface.
36:54But then when you look down, it's enormous.
36:56This species that we have all around us is called giant kelp, and it can grow up to 80 metres
37:02in length.
37:05South Georgia's kelp is so dense it can be seen from space, with vast underwater sea forests circling the island.
37:15I'm in Hercules Bay to discover why kelp is so important to the waters here, and to the rest of
37:22the world.
37:24I mean, it's massively important to the marine ecosystem, isn't it?
37:28Without it, the food chain would collapse.
37:30Around this part of the world, absolutely.
37:32Lots of small things like to take shelter there, because the kelp does provide a huge amount of protection from
37:39the aggressive ocean.
37:40The kelp really makes sort of texture that creatures can live in and be protected and stay close to shore.
37:47Kelp is used in food, fertilisers, cosmetics and medicines around the world.
37:53Here, it underpins an entire ecosystem.
37:58Scientists now recognise these forests as one of the planet's most powerful natural allies in the fight against climate change.
38:07Whoo!
38:08Oh, there we go.
38:10And it just keeps coming.
38:12The texture is actually phenomenal, isn't it?
38:15Look at the ripple effect.
38:17These ridges feel just fabulous.
38:19I can't explain.
38:21It'll probably make a noise.
38:24It does have that sort of rubbery plastic feel, doesn't it?
38:28They are starting to use it, actually, in a lot of plastic replacement products.
38:31They are, which is fantastic.
38:33Tell me about the potty bits.
38:34These little sacs, they're called nematocysts.
38:37And we can actually take one.
38:40They come off this dipe.
38:41So you have a long stalk that goes down to the bottom of the sea.
38:45Then you have these little air pockets that keep it floating up at the surface.
38:48And then these most incredible blades go along and photosynthesise.
38:54The design is mind-blowing, isn't it?
38:56What's going to be in here when you pop it?
38:57What do you think?
38:58Well, gases, a mixture of gases.
39:00Do you want to break it?
39:01Yeah, I'll break it. Let's do it.
39:02Oh, so satisfying.
39:05Satisfying.
39:06Can't smell anything.
39:07So what was in there?
39:09Just air.
39:09Just air? Oh!
39:11Just gas.
39:12These species will detach from the sea floor and create massive rafts of kelp that then go drifting around in
39:18the ocean.
39:18So kelp from South Georgia has been genetically tested and found in New Zealand.
39:25So they travel?
39:26So they travel.
39:26And they carry all the little creatures in them.
39:29So they make these little hotspots of biodiversity and then drift away on the ocean and help connect populations in
39:35the Southern Ocean.
39:36Oh, look, we've got a little...
39:37A perfect demonstration.
39:39Okay.
39:40So there's all sorts of little creatures that live on the surface.
39:43Look at those.
39:44So here we have a whole bunch of amphipods.
39:48You can see their little teeny crustaceans living in the kelp to help protect them and keep them here.
39:54So this unassuming, slimy seaweed is actually an unsung hero of the planet.
40:03And really a wonder of the frozen South as well.
40:09From hidden underwater kelp forests to crowded shores, everything here is connected.
40:18I'm leaving the towering cliffs of Hercules Bay and sailing southwest along this jagged coastline to the wild heart of
40:26Gold Harbor,
40:27where colossal elephant seals reign supreme.
40:36Just up ahead is Gold Harbor.
40:39It's like the beating heart of South Georgia.
40:41And it is packed full of wildlife.
40:51Okay, so today we've got a reminder to be quiet.
40:54We've got a lot of wildlife, okay?
41:00I've just stepped onto the black sand, and it is wall to wall seals.
41:05I haven't done another landing where the wildlife has been so densely packed.
41:10And straight in front of me, three giant elephant seals just lolling around.
41:15They are Antarctica's loudest land mammal.
41:18And actually, it's their primeval roar that I really want to hear.
41:24Marine biologist Jenna Silk is here to help me understand and avoid the mass of wild animals on the beach.
41:33Jenna, it's wall to wall.
41:35Penguins, seals, bird life. Phenomenal.
41:39It is heaven.
41:40And because we have so much wildlife, we're actually having to stand in the water,
41:45because we have to keep the five-metre distance at all times.
41:48This whole experience, the proximity to the wildlife, is utterly magical and amazing.
41:56Look at this extraordinary sight.
41:59We might have to move back a bit.
42:01Yeah, okay, we're in the way. We've got to move again.
42:04And we might have to stop, because we've got some more just behind you there as well.
42:09The wildlife just keeps coming at you.
42:11We might have to drop down further into the waterline just to let these penguins pass.
42:19Make way. Seal coming through.
42:21Just a curious seal coming to say hello.
42:24Look at those eyes. Eyes like saucers.
42:27Oh, he likes me.
42:29I think the seal...
42:30Oh, he's coming back this way now.
42:32Oh, fella.
42:38We can't actually make much headway along the beach, because there's just too much wildlife traffic.
42:46This fella.
42:47Yeah, so it's quite a few giant petrels around.
42:49So this one is a northern giant petrel, so it's got a pink beak tip.
42:55So you can kind of remember it by the warmer the colour.
42:59Right.
42:59So in the southern hemisphere, further north is warmer.
43:02So pink beak, warmer colour.
43:04Northern giant petrel.
43:05Whereas the southern giant petrels have the pale green tip of the beak.
43:09So further south, colder temperature, colder colour.
43:11They are just cruising around looking for opportunity, aren't they?
43:15Exactly.
43:15So they're looking for anything that's dead, dying, sick or weak.
43:20There's a lot of elephant seals here.
43:22There's a lot of what we call wieners.
43:24Yep.
43:25So the baby elephant seals, they're already weaned.
43:28The mothers feed them only for three weeks and then they disappear.
43:31But actually a lot of the adults are coming back now to start their molt.
43:34So they shed their skin once a year, all at once.
43:37So that's why we have such a huge number here now.
43:40Bulls, females and pups.
43:41OK, so it's a crash of rhino.
43:44It's a journey of giraffe.
43:46What are we calling a massive number of seals together?
43:49So it can be called a colony or a herd.
43:51Casually, I sometimes like to just call it a pile.
43:54A pile.
43:54Because there's just so many.
43:55It is indeed a pile of seals.
43:59It's surprising how agile their flippers are, isn't it?
44:01Exactly.
44:02So sometimes you'll see them scratching themselves.
44:04They have the full mobility, almost like fingers.
44:07But also they'll dig down into the sand,
44:09flicking that onto their bodies to try and cool down their temperature.
44:15Tell me about this behaviour.
44:17The big elephant seal has pinned the smaller seal down.
44:20Yeah, so he's still probably a little bit in mating mode.
44:24So this is a very large bull elephant seal.
44:27The females are about a quarter of the size of the males.
44:30So the males can get up to four tonnes and six and a half metres in length.
44:34But the females only get to about 800 kilos.
44:37So it's the biggest size difference between sexes of any mammal.
44:40So most of the seals here are the weaned baby elephant seals of this year.
44:46But the male, he might be confusing some of these smaller pups as females.
44:50Yeah.
44:50Because everything is so much smaller than him in general.
44:53OK.
44:54This large male that's quite skinny but really long.
44:57Yeah.
44:58He might actually be one of the ones that's been defending some females this season.
45:01Right.
45:01And they'll lose about 12 kilograms a day when they're doing that.
45:05So they usually only mate once in their life, if ever.
45:09But they could be mating with about 30 to 200 females.
45:13And just in case you think they can't move very sharpish when they want to,
45:19there's the evidence that you need.
45:20Oh, the colossal effort it must take to winch that weight up.
45:27Oh, we've actually got two bulls over there that are squaring up.
45:39That's what I've been waiting to hear.
45:43That guttural sound.
45:48So when they roar and they roosh up the nose, it's like a resonating chamber for sound,
45:54warning any other male elephant seals in the area.
45:57They are incredible creatures.
46:04South Georgia is a land of extremes, shaped by phenomenal change over the last century.
46:10Once the wailing capital of the world, it's been transformed into a fortress of conservation,
46:16where nature is reclaiming its wild kingdom.
46:21And the longer you're here, the more you absorb this incredible atmosphere.
46:27All of these animals living side by side, it just reminds you of what life is really about.
46:36And to survive, this haven of wildlife still needs our protection.
46:42It's living proof that we can make a difference.
46:45And that puts a smile on my face.
46:57Next time...
46:58Oh, one there, Finn! Finn!
47:01There are whales in these here waters.
47:05My journey reaches its final frontier.
47:08Stunning!
47:09Antarctica.
47:11And they're just carrying on with life.
47:14Where nature reveals its raw power, like nowhere else.
47:19Oh, my goodness me! Look at the waves!
47:22My heart is pumping.
47:24How's it going?
47:25How's it going?
47:27How's it going?
47:48How's it going with the waves?
47:52What are you doing?
47:54HX Expeditions.
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