Elsehul

Visitors first called in at Elsehul in the 1780s, when it gave shelters to early sealing expeditions who named it Paddock Cove. South Georgia is at its narrowest here, and sealers could easily haul their boats over the narrow isthmus just 350m wide to the south coast to avoid the stormy passage around the northern tip of the island. Over 1.2 million fur seals were killed in South Georgia in this period – when whalers rediscovered the cove at the start of the 20th century barely a single seal remained to be found. The name Elsehul (Else Cove) dates from this period, likely given in honour of the wife of a Norwegian captain. Three sealing trypots can still be seen on the beach. 

By the 1970s, fur seal numbers had rebounded sufficiently for Elsehul to be the location for an important British Antarctic Survey study on their recovery. Today, so many crowd the narrow beach here that landings can be difficult in November and December: many visitors experience Elsehul by zodiac cruise to enjoy the location's abundant birdlife. 

Elsehul is one of the few accessible places on South Georgia where black-browed albatrosses and grey-headed albatrosses nest together, along with a smaller number of light-mantled albatrosses. The eastern cliffs of the harbour around Pull Point have the largest numbers of nesting birds, along with imperial cormorants and giant petrels.

A significant number of macaroni penguins also form a rookery on the lower cliffs, ascending the steep slopes with their crampon-like claws on their feet. White-chinned petrels, cape petrels, Wilson's storm -petrels, brown skuas and wandering albatrosses can also be seen on the wing.

In season, fur seals and elephant seals line the narrow beach at the south of the harbour. Above them, gentoo penguins nest in the tussock, along with increasing numbers of South Georgia pipits. Small number of king penguins can also sometimes be seen on the beach here, although there is no colony.