Deception Island-First Steps

We woke up early this morning and were on deck as we entered Neptune’s Bellows, right in the middle of Deception Island, just before 6:00 a.m. Deception Island is made up of the volcano’s caldera. This active volcano is always being watched for earthquakes. The last time Deception Island erupted in Antarctica was in 1970. It was more violent than the previous eruptions in 1967 and 1969. Even though there no people here now, there used to be a whaling settlement nearby.

Lindsay and I are in the Blue Group for expeditions today. The last one’s out! We had plenty of time to pack our bags, have breakfast, and do laundry. The ship’s location allowed us to watch our fellow passengers take the Zodiac ashore. Some walked on the beach, while others climbed the ridge and walked down the Valley. Lindsay chose to walk on the beach, while I chose to climb the ridge. Today, we didn’t expect much wildlife, since we were on a ship in the middle of an active volcano and the ever-changing landscape and geology were the main attractions.

This was a great start to our “Antarctica” exposure. Lindsay stepped onto her 7th continent! Overnight, we got about 4-6 inches of new snow, so the ground was a bit slippery. But it was all worth it for the wonderful views and wildlife. We saw a fur seal and I even got up close and personal with a chinstrap penguin!

Once we were back on the ship, I changed into casual clothes and grabbed lunch and a rest until we went to Whaler’s Station when it was our turn to go ashore. Once it was our turn, I spent a lovely two hours hiking to Neptune’s Window, watching a few more fur seals and two Weddell seals on the beach. There was also a lonely gentoo penguin welcoming us off the zodiacs! I also met two lovely birds whose names were given to us by nearby expedition leaders, but I forgot them right away.

Here are two quick stories:

Penguins reunited! As I was passing through the whaler’s station, I saw our lonely gentoo penguin get a visit from a friend after waiting patiently for hours!

Guess what? Graffiti in Antarctica is a thing of the past! We spotted two tents near the airplane hangar while we were having lunch. Turns out, it was a team from a UK group that’s been cleaning graffiti off artifacts.

You see, the International Treaty that oversees Antarctica has designated areas for treaty signers to supervise, but each country is responsible for holding its citizens accountable. Last season, Seabourn ships that visited Antarctica within a week of one another, noticed that some buildings had been defaced with graffiti. After an investigation, a Ukrainian private yacht was found to be responsible. The captain lost his license, and the artists were charged.

The group in the tents had just finished erasing their damage!

I was on the last zodiac to the ship. After a quick shower, we went to the recap session, then had sushi, and are now enjoying room service before heading to bed. It was a very full day! (I can only post 20 pictures…It was so hard to cut it down)Baca lagi