Deception Island
Guests aboard the National Geographic Explorer awoke this morning with a call to make their way on deck as the ship entered the South Shetland Islands and approached Deception Island. A large tabular iceberg greeted them as they arrived on deck. The rectangular, flat topped iceberg also provided the first view of Adelie penguins nestled near the lower edge of one side. The captain made a slow approach and went around the end of the iceberg, putting the guests directly alongside. Wandering albatross continued to glide by the ship and a flock of pintado petrels repeatedly passed in front of the iceberg.
National Geographic Explorer continued on its way past the chinstrap penguin colony at Bailey Head, on the outside of Deception Island, before finally approaching the Bellows, a narrow entrance into the bay of Port Foster. An ancient volcano, it recently erupted twice in the late 1960s, destroyed the Chilean and British research stations on the island.
National Geographic Explorer made its way into Whaler’s Bay, a former whaling station in the early 1900s. Many remnants of buildings and whale oil tanks stand around the station, and pieces of whale bones can be found around the beach area. Walking along the beach, guests found chinstrap penguins, skuas, and Antarctic terns nesting in the area.
A highlight of the day was the opportunity to take a dip in the frigid Antarctic waters. The cold is somewhat alleviated by warm waters flowing thru the soil to the edge of the bay, heated by the underground thermals that remain from the volcanic eruptions. Many guests took advantage of the polar plunge, spending a few minutes in the pools or diving into the bay itself, exiting the water to the embrace of towels and hot cocoa…
