The Scotia Sea gained notoriety from the Shackleton expedition where a rescue party made a treacherous voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia about a century ago. Today the Scotia Sea was remarkably calm with just a slight swell, a light breeze, and blue skies from horizon to horizon. To step out on deck, however, was to be reminded that we were still very much in the frigid grip of the Southern Ocean. We sailed over the abyssal plain (3000m deep) where sea life was more sparsely distributed compared with previous days. That said, we were still treated to views of fin and humpback whales and a high diversity of birds, including our first glimpse of king penguins!