WATCH THE BIRDIE

RICK TOMLINSON LEADS A WILDLIFE ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITION IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS

- RICK TOMLINSON

Our alternative was to sail to the Jason Islands, regarded as one of the jewels of the Falklands, where we’d definitely see albatross, penguins and seals. But we’d already had some great encounters with those and the prospect of killer whales won our hearts, and now we were here and so were the orcas!

We were in the last few days of our 14-day trip with a group I was leading on a ‘Photographic safari of West Falklands’ aboard Skip Novak’s expedition yacht Pelagic Australis. Our group had met up in Santiago, Chile. Some had come from the UK, others from the USA.

We flew to the Falklands via Punta Arenas in the Magellan Straits landing at the Falklands Mount Pleasant airport. On the ground a pair of 4x4s took us across East Falkland to Port San Carlos, passing San Carlos and Goose Green – names familiar to those who know anything of the Falklands War in 1982.

Pelagic Australis was stationed at Port San Carlos to save us at least a day by getting straight out to the wildlife sites situated mainly in West Falkland. Skipper Chris Kobusch and mate Sophie O’Neill met us on board, along with local Falklands guide Dale Evans.

Pelagic Australis is a 73ft, 48 tonne, aluminum expedition boat so the two sailing crew were always going to need some help, which I was certainly up for. High latitude sailing with wildlife photography mixed in is my idea of heaven.

Breakfast and briefings completed, the following morning we set off into 30-knot headwinds for Pebble Island. Dolphins accompanied us the whole way, which I took as a positive omen. This was going to be good.