Deception Island is an island like no
other. It is ring shaped, with a very narrow opening allowing boats to access
its centre. In fact it is a volcano (the ring being the crater), and one of the
only two volcanoes in Antarctica where eruptions have been observed, the last
one lasting between 1967-1970. Our guests were certainly not deceived, as we
had an action packed day full of different activities.
In the morning we landed at Telefon Bay.
After a short hike up an ash slope, we found another smaller crater which was
possible to go hiking around. One by one our tender boats arrived and our
guests were treated to incredible views over the entire Deception Island.
Although the temperature was a balmy few degrees Celsius, the wind picked up
and we were happy to return to a warm ship for lunch. In the meantime we had
another group kayaking – they were able to reach Pendulum Cove, known for its
hotsprings.
View from the top of Deception Island. At distance is the narrow entrance (Neptune's Bellows)
In the afternoon we crossed over to the
other side of the island, to Whaler’s Bay (named after the whaling operations
which took place here in 1906), where we were greeted by steaming black ash
sand. Putting your hand into the sand and you could really feel the heat! We
visited some of the fascinating historical monuments along the beach, including
a Norwegian whaling station and British science base - both destroyed during
the last eruption.
Arriving at Whaler's Bay
Some of us decided to join the hike to
Bailey Head – a steep hike up the ash slopes and onto snow fields. Once we had
ascended the slopes, we had outstanding views beyond the island, and were able
to reach a large chinstrap penguin colony. Back down again, and just in time
for some Antarctic bathing. You see, some of the waters around the Bay are relatively
warm, but judging by the faces of our keen swimmers, it still looked pretty
cold! Finally, we had another group who went on a very interesting “geology
cruise” with our very own geologist to the southern part of the caldera of the
Deception Island. The group saw some interesting features of the glacier of
Mount Pond and looked at the hydrothermal activity in Pendulum cove.
Hike to Bailey Head
Chinstrap colony at Bailey Head
What comes up must come down
Antarctic bathing
Overall, another very busy day in a very
incredible place!
