Deception Island

It is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbour, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969. The island previously held a whaling station. It is now a tourist destination with over 15,000 visitors per year. The island is roughly circular and horseshoe-shaped, with a maximum diameter around 15 km (9.3 mi). The highest peak, Mount Pond on the east side of the island, has an elevation of 539 m (1,768 ft), while Mount Kirkwood on the west has an elevation of 452 m (1,483 ft). It is an active volcano and last eruption was in 1970. We went to the island on cruise ship and walked around the rim of the volcano crater. Terrain on the island is rocky, sand all blackish in colour from volcanic activity. Can see strange kelps and penguins here. The walk around the rim requires high fitness and is about 8 km long on uneven and loose terrain. Popular area with tourists. Wear comfy shoes, take water, wear hat, sunscreen. Great place for photography.

An old whaling station, you can still see ruins of the seaplane hangar, the oil drums whale blubber and the heating pots where they break down the blubber into oil. Also saw 3 graves, but no dates were mentioned.

This was a great spot to hike and get up close to the whaling history in Antarctica. We walked around the small bay and up to Peter’s Pillars viewpoint. Some of the ladies took advantage of the Hurtigruten support to go for a polar bear swim. Seals were kept at a distance for safety and we had to carry sticks in case we needed to give them a distraction.

Our second stop in Antarctica is on Deception Island, an ACTIVE VOLCANO, with a flooded caldera. The island is 12km x 12km, the inner Caldera is 9km x 6km. Access to the harbor is through a 200m wide entrance known as Neptune’s Bellows, so named for the winds that howl through it. There is a rock in the middle just under the water and the area to one side is foul so the ship just has 100m with which to navigate. Our landing spot is Whalers Bay, a small harbor immediately to the northeast after passing through Neptune’s Bellows. The Bay includes a semi-circular, gently sloping ash beach, approximately 2km in length. Key features are a historic Site and Monument No. 71, including a) the remains of the Norwegian Hektor Whaling Station (1912-1931), b) the site of the Whaler’s Cemetery and other whaling remains along the beach, c) the abandoned British ‘Base B’ (1944-1969), d) Neptune’s Window (A collapse of Cathedral Crags on the south-eastern side of Whalers Bay), and e) Ronald Hill. Both the base and the station were destroyed by a mudslide during an eruption that lasted from 1967-1969. Our landing has a good walking opportunity, up to Neptune’s Bellows or along to the old base airstrip. There is the polar plunge for anyone that wants it as the waters are as warm as they will be likely to get due to Kroner Lake, a geo-thermally heated lagoon. We have a mix of snow flurries and the scenery changes dramatically from black and white to colorful depending on how the clouds break and the direction one is facing when the sun shows. There are a lot of muted to bright browns here, as a result of the iron from the eruptions. As I walked up to Neptune’s Window, the ground looked very Mars like with a patch of rusty brown ground. In Juxtaposition, there is an out of bounds growth of greenery/moss where the fur seals seem to be hanging out. After the landing we cruise the inner caldera and check out a few eruption craters before heading back out of Neptune’s Bellows.

My greatest adventure ever! (2014, with 'Polar Latitudes, Sea Adventure'). The Chinstraps were very friendly, they will come towards you to check you out, if you don't move 🤗🐧😍

A uniquely beautiful place in the world of wildlife

Not exactly the most picturesque place in Antarctica but still a good spot. It’s in the middle of a volcano, sometimes you get warm water, lots of seals, some penguins, some snow mountains and a lot of history dealing with whaling and a cemetery.

Deception Island is a small island in the Bransfield Strait, 620 miles / 1,000km south of Ushuaia, Argentina. It is close to Antarctic Peninsula but is in South Shetland Islands. This island is the caldera of an active volcano. Waking up to a rather overcast skies, I went to the bow and took some videos. As we sail into Whalers Bay, the scenery is even more beautiful and tranquil. It did perk me up - for more than two weeks on the ship, I was a little weary. I would love to go kayaking one more time but it was canceled due to the weather. By 10:20am, the wind was picking up, that forced us to return to the ship earlier than planed.