29 May 2019

Fog Clears for Epic Start to Russia’s Ring of Fire Expedition

Off to an all white start, Spirit of Enderby was blanketed in fog as we sailed across the Kamchatka Trench towards the Commander Islands. Clearing during the final leg just as we were joined by a feeding Humpback Whale cruising alongside our vessel provided a spectacular welcome to these amazing islands.

Waking to clear blue skies and flat calm seas off Bering Island, we went ashore to explore the small settlement of Nikolskoye where we were greeted by excited locals happy to welcome the first visitors of the summer and enjoyed some great wildlife spotting.

Back aboard our trusty expedition vessel, we made our way around to Ary Kamen Island where we Zodiac cruised the shoreline where Stella Sea Lions put on an excellent show basking in the brilliant sunshine alongside Red-legged Kittiwakes and shags.

Heading south down Bering Island, we spent the afternoon looking for whales which proved elusive bar the Baird's Beaked and Sei Whales spotted in the distance. Dropping anchor for dinner, we ended the day with a Zodiac cruise along the rugged coastline painted gold by the late evening sunshine.

Image (c) C.Todd