This dataset summarises cetacean sightings made during January and February 2019 by an experienced team of cetacean researchers doing regular small-scale surveys in coastal waters close to Cumberland Bay, South Georgia. Some surveys were just within Cumberland Bay, and others include locations to the west and east of Cumberland Bay, as far as Stromness Bay (west) and St Andrews Bay (east). The dataset includes survey tracks, survey effort periods, species sighted and numbers of animals encountered. Over the survey period, Cumberland Bay alone was surveyed six times. Cumberland Bay plus adjoining waters were surveyed nine times, a total of 25:12 hr of search effort for all surveys. Nine expeditions were carried out in January (13:39 hr effort, with whales sighted on six surveys) and six in February (11:33 hr effort, with whales sighted on three surveys). A total of 43 whales (41 humpback whales) were observed during 26 sighting events, nine of which were within Cumberland Bay; a further 10 humpback whales were sighted at the entrance to the Bay (Right Whale Rocks), making a total of 19 humpback whale sightings within or at the entrance to Cumberland Bay. EU BEST 2.0 Medium Grant 1594, DARWIN PLUS award DPLUS057 and funding from the South Georgia Heritage Trust and Friends of South Georgia Island.

The acoustic data is separated into different categories of plankton: fish, fish without swimbladders, gas bearing plankton, plankton, and total backscatter for the RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Discovery cruises. The data is for every nautical mile along the transit and separated into 19 depth bands (in one set of files) or aggregated together (in another set of files). The whale and bird number of each species are reported for each day. These research cruises were co-funded through partnerships between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through the Blue Belt program run by Cefas & MMO, and UKRI through the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) National Capability - Official Development Assistance program (NE/R000107/1 and NE/T012439/1).