Deception Island

The historical context of the island is incredibly fascinating. The fact that you are standing on an important piece of whaling history in the Antarctic region is very interesting and fascinating. Lovely penguins too.

I went back in Jan 2024, but have been reminiscing ever since! Deception island was my first (almost) look at antarctica and it was so breathtaking! Honestly the whole experience leaves me speechless. Cool place (literally), 5/5 would recommend!! Haha

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.

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 must-visit if you’re all the way down here in Antarctica! If you’re uneasy on boats and get seasick, I’d recommend going with Antarctica XXI who flies you from Punta Arenas, Chile to Frei Station. From Frei Station, it’s a short boat trip to Deception Island! At Deception Island, there is a lot you can do. You can go ashore and walk around the abandoned whaling station. There are penguins everywhere and nature is reclaiming everything! It’s pretty desolate (honestly could be called Desolation Island rather than Deception Island) but it’s really cool how friendly the penguins are. They come right up to you to say hi! It’s really sad they used to use penguins for oil back in the day…they’re so cute and I can’t imagine anyone doing that! ☹️ Anyways, you can also go on a hike up the mountain to get a better viewpoint of the cove. It’s all gravel, so definitely not the easiest hike in the world, but worth it in the end when you get a nice view! And finally, some tour groups (like Antarctica XXI) like to choose this spot for the polar plunge! If you want to be able to say you SWAM in the ocean in Antarctica, this is the place to do it! We had to get into a swimsuit on the beach, and run in the water! By the way, it doesn’t count unless you entirely dip your head in…make sure you get it on video! And do be prepared for the cold zodiac ride back to the ship! 🤣 All in all, Deception Island is an awesome place in Antarctica. It truly shows the best of what this continent has to offer. Antarctica is way more than just ice and snow!