Deception Island, Antarctica
Since arriving here in the Antarctic we have found ourselves in the pleasant company of warm sunny skies and calm seas. This morning, however, began as a more traditional day in the Antarctic, in a way many of us were beginning to doubt existed. Like our Antarctic predecessors, we bundled up in several layers and ventured ashore to explore the remains of the former whaling station at Whaler’s Bay.
Deception Island, appropriately named for its ability to delude sailors for centuries with its hidden entrance, became a center for sealing and whaling activity in the early 19th century. It is difficult to imagine that only a few decades ago this bay was the center for whaling activity. Now almost 80 years later, the silence feels eerie amidst the leaning tanks and deteriorating buildings in this abandoned land.
As the fog slowly rolled in and the thermal shorelines remained elusive, our own fearless explorers ventured into unknown waters. With enthusiastic shouts and a few cold-water induced shrieks, a group of intrepid swimmers willingly scurried into the not-so-thermal waters of Whaler’s Bay. Unhindered by our newfound Antarctic weather, these souls braved the cold while others looked on in a state wavering between admiration and bewilderment.
Fortunately, the typical Antarctic weather was a short-lived phenomenon. The fog lifted, the winds dropped, and we found ourselves enjoying pleasant temperatures for our afternoon Zodiac cruise along the outer shorelines of Deception Island. A colony of chinstrap penguins, dotted with a handful of fur seals, occupied the shores. And a couple of curious leopard seals patrolled the surging shorelines while young chinstrap penguins, many still covered in downy patches, headed out to sea. The National Geographic Endeavour followed suit bound for the Weddell Sea.
Since arriving here in the Antarctic we have found ourselves in the pleasant company of warm sunny skies and calm seas. This morning, however, began as a more traditional day in the Antarctic, in a way many of us were beginning to doubt existed. Like our Antarctic predecessors, we bundled up in several layers and ventured ashore to explore the remains of the former whaling station at Whaler’s Bay.
Deception Island, appropriately named for its ability to delude sailors for centuries with its hidden entrance, became a center for sealing and whaling activity in the early 19th century. It is difficult to imagine that only a few decades ago this bay was the center for whaling activity. Now almost 80 years later, the silence feels eerie amidst the leaning tanks and deteriorating buildings in this abandoned land.
As the fog slowly rolled in and the thermal shorelines remained elusive, our own fearless explorers ventured into unknown waters. With enthusiastic shouts and a few cold-water induced shrieks, a group of intrepid swimmers willingly scurried into the not-so-thermal waters of Whaler’s Bay. Unhindered by our newfound Antarctic weather, these souls braved the cold while others looked on in a state wavering between admiration and bewilderment.
Fortunately, the typical Antarctic weather was a short-lived phenomenon. The fog lifted, the winds dropped, and we found ourselves enjoying pleasant temperatures for our afternoon Zodiac cruise along the outer shorelines of Deception Island. A colony of chinstrap penguins, dotted with a handful of fur seals, occupied the shores. And a couple of curious leopard seals patrolled the surging shorelines while young chinstrap penguins, many still covered in downy patches, headed out to sea. The National Geographic Endeavour followed suit bound for the Weddell Sea.
