Southward to the Subantarctic

This year’s subantarctic expedition is under way! On the 25th our gear passed biosecurity inspection at the Invercargill quarantine store before we headed to Bluff to load Evohe for departure. By late afternoon we were under way, pushing east along the Southland coast. The following two days were spent at sea in slow, often uncomfortable conditions as confused seas made for a challenging passage towards the Bounty Islands.

We reached the Bounties on 28 November, emerging from thick fog to find heavy northerly swell hammering Proclamation Island. Bucket Cove was completely unlandable, forcing us to wait for a break -but none came. The decision to shift south to Depot Island proved decisive.

In the relative shelter of the southern coast we achieved a safe landing on 29 November and completed a full day of fieldwork: GPS deployments on Salvin’s albatross and Erect-crested penguins, drone surveys across the main and center groups, and installation of a remote base station for logger downloads.

With all objectives met, Evohe turned south that evening toward the Antipodes.Antipodes Island came into view on 30 November, but conditions were again testing. Heavy swell made landings impossible in Anchorage Bay, even at low tide, so the team stood off and steamed a sheltered loop around the island, waiting for the next weather window. A more detailed field diary will follow once we’re back on the mainland – but for now, November ended with steady progress and most of the critical work at the Bounties successfully completed.