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.
This morning found us sailing in the southern end of Loreto Bay National Park during sunrise, looking for marine life. We watched some mobula rays jumping out of the water doing spectacular summersaults and a few humpback whales. Everyone on board delighted every time that they showed their flukes at the start of a longer dive! We sailed by the small and remote Las Ánimas Island and saw some of the Guadalupe fur seals that spend some time in the Gulf during the spring. Eventually we anchored off San José Island at a gorgeous location named Punta Colorada where we enjoyed snorkeling and hiking and finished another beautiful day exploring the Sea of Cortez.
Having successfully avoided the worst of the weather in our crossing from South Georgia, the sun rose to reveal Saunders Island before us at the beginning of the day. This is an island in the West Falklands and is home to many sheep and black-browed albatross. In the heavy winds of the morning, we were visited at sea by these albatross, as well as a variety of other seabirds and some sei whales. We started our program for the day with a presentation from Historian Steve Fisher, who took us through the complex history of the archipelago up to the 1982 war. This was followed by a serene watercolor session led by Naturalist Jessie Johnson. In the afternoon, Naturalist Gerard Baker talked us through contemporary life in the Falklands. In all, the day set us up well for what was to come as we made our transit.
After exploring Costa Rica for three days, we landed at one of the most beautiful national parks of Panama, Coiba. Since 1919, Coiba Island was a work prison where the prisoners were tasked with its care. After the prison was relocated, the scientific community and the Smithsonian became interested in this unique place. Today Coiba is one of the most important national parks in the country, many people drawn to its vast biodiversity. We spent the day exploring. Some of our guests enjoyed snorkeling around Cocos Island where they had the opportunity to see whitetip reef sharks, hawksbill sea turtles, and different varieties of fish. At the same time, we offered kayaking and stand up paddleboarding for those looking for something more adventurous. Other guests opted to relax and read a book on the beach at Coiba Island.
Today we have explored different spots on Isabela Island. We started the day visiting Urbina Bay where we did a long hike over an uplifted area which occurred in 1954. It is amazing to see how nature has recovered after this geological event and now offers so many things to see, like land iguanas and giant tortoises that we found along the trail. During the afternoon, we headed to Tagus Cove. We explored by kayak, Zodiac, snorkeling, and hiking. With every single activity we were surrounded by penguins, lots of seabirds, flightless cormorants, and other unique animals from the Galapagos. It was a very special day exploring the islands aboard National Geographic Endeavour II.
Today we spent the day exploring the western Galapagos Islands. We visited Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island and Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island. This was a remarkable day because we observed some of the most iconic of the endemic species in the Galapagos, such as the Galapagos penguin, Galapagos sea lions, marine iguanas, and flightless cormorants.
