Right Whale Bay

Right Whale Bay is on South Georgia's northeast coast, making it a popular call for many expedition cruise ships first arriving at the island. There is plenty of wildlife here, with the main attraction being a sizeable king penguin colony. The beach sees plenty of activity, from porpoising penguins in the surf to vast numbers of fur seals.

Weathered whale vertebra on the beach speak to South Georgia's history of exploitation, along with a few old storm battered timbers. These are likely the remains of the sealing ship Regulator, which was wrecked here in 1799, when the bay was known as Sparrow Cove (the ship's figurehead survived here until 1972 but is no longer present). Its crew built temporary shelters on the beach to live in until  they were picked up by a passing ship later in the season along with their cargo of some 14,000 fur seal skins. When a second ship sent by the Regulator’s owners belatedly arrived to rescue the men the following year, its captain found the beach abandoned. Not being one to pass on an opportunity, he salvaged the wreck and converted it into a cutter that he then used to expand on his sealing operations. Mount Regulator overlooking the bay is named for the ship.

Right Whale Bay's main attraction is its king penguin colony, made up of around 25,000 breeding pairs. Rather than being gathered on a plain as in many spots on South Georgia, the colony spreads up the side of a hill, giving the impression of a massive amphitheatre packed with noisy avian spectators.

It's not uncommon to see gentoo penguins on the beach even though they do not breed here. Chinstrap penguins may also sometimes be seen. Historically Right Whale Bay lay beyond their northernmost limit on South Georgia, but in January 2023 researchers at the British Antarctic Survey research base at nearby Bird Island recorded the first known chinstrap chicks, suggesting possible changes in behaviour and distribution.

Binder Beach is an enormously popular fur seal breeding location. At the height of summer, the beach is so packed that landings are impossible. Elephant seals breed here in smaller numbers, and leopard seals are sometimes seen patrolling the shoreline.

Other breeding bird species include giant petrels, brown skuas and snowy sheathbills. The grassy cliffs host the nests of a smaller number of light-mantled albatross as well as some of the smaller burrowing petrels – best viewed during a zodiac cruise.