Shortly before breakfast, we approached horseshoe-shaped Deception Island, the rim of an old volcano that erupted about 4,000 years ago. Today, the island is still a region of volcanic activity, with the last major eruptions occurring in 1967, 1969, and 1970. These eruptions collectively destroyed the scientific bases of Chile and the United Kingdom. Minor ‘grumbles’ occurred in 1992 but caused no damage to the newly constructed Spanish and Chilean bases. National Geographic Explorer entered the ancient, water-filled caldera, now known as Port Foster, via the narrow opening called Neptune’s Bellows. Just after entering, we slowly cruised into adjacent Whalers Bay by the ruins of the Norwegian whaling station, active from 1912-1931, as well as the remains of a secret World War II British Base and adjacent aircraft runway. The ruins are now protected historical sites and monuments under the Antarctic Treaty.
We continued into Telefon Bay, where we went ashore for hiking. Many chose to do a long hike, climbing 300 meters to the crater rim of the 1967 eruption. Others chose a moderate climb to a lower crater or a slow walk along the black sand beach. At the end of the beach, several Weddell seals napped on a large patch of snow. Other than a few chinstrap penguins and various mosses, the area is devoid of life.
During lunch, we exited Port Foster via Neptune’s Bellows and soon encountered four humpback whales, several large pods of penguins feeding on small fish, and a very large colony (~80,000 breeding pairs) of chinstrap penguins that extended from the beach up to the high peaks. Later, we saw a fin whale and several humpbacks, one of which swam directly to the ship’s bow. To our amazement and delight, the humpback proceeded to rub itself against the hull, possibly to remove some troublesome barnacles. It was a wildly unique experience! As we continued along the South Shetland Islands, we bid adieu to the last of the large icebergs and prepared to enter the Drake Passage. It was yet another remarkable and memorable day, as were all previous days of the voyage.
