Deception Island

The fog lay thick over the cliffs of Cathedral Crags, covering all evidence that it is a very narrow passage. Cameras and eyes looking the cliffs up and down trying to decide how far they towered up into the clouds. The atmospheric mist set the mood for our day in this fascinating place. A volcanic island boasting a dramatic history of eruptions which overlap with an era of intense whaling and scientific exploration.

After rounding Cathedral Crags, we could see the rusty orange cylinders and decrepit buildings of Hektors whaling station. The mist clung to the mountains as it flowed around them like a river, as the winds of the Bransfield Strait met a topographic inconsistency.

Even after only one day of launching zodiacs, there was a well-coordinated, enthusiastic team to move blacky and grey from deck to the water. With the sound of three bells, we gathered in the deckhouse to hear about what the landing would entail.

Fur Seals again greeted us near the landing sight. Enough to entertain but not to stop us from landing this time. We headed along the shoreline in the direction of Neptune’s Window, observing the tideline for anything that had washed up. Before we had even begun striding out, a brittle star was spotted. These starfish-like animals line the sea bed in places around Deception Island and occasionally wash up on the beach. Laura gave us more information on the life cycle of these organisms and why it may lead to individuals being washed up on the shoreline here.

We passed by the old boats on the shoreline, relicts from the whaling days, which were now guarded by groups of fur seals. One larger male was standing his ground, defending the boat for himself. We skirted around, avoiding fur seals and barrel pieces, targeting a free line whilst enjoying the photography opportunities with Europa in the background.

Once we were across the fluvial beds, we found the stream valley and followed it uphill. Up and up we went, into the clouds. The moist air left us soaked through. Cooling us off as we were able to use our bodies for the first time in days. The route wound around corners, up steeper crumbly sections, and traversed soft volcanic ash. The colors beneath our feet changed from black ashes to yellow weathered tuff and even had some deep red, iron-rich grains.

The route went on. In single file we followed, occasionally glancing back to see if the clouds would let us see Europa or the whaling station behind. The steeper-sided valley eased off giving way to a never-ending slope up into the mist. All of a sudden, we reached a drop that led down into yet more mist. We looked behind and could see through a tunnel of clear skies back to Hektor’s whaling station. Although a distant view of the peninsula is possible from here on a clear day, we are reminded of the more ordinary and typical days here at Deception Island, where the Whalers of their day would be blanketed in the ubiquitous fog of the South Shetland Islands.

Below us lay the steep cliffs of eroded layers of lava flows, steepened by the erosive powers of the Bransfield Strait waves breaking the base of the cliffs. A bright iceberg shone through the mist, showing us where the sea was more clearly.

We turned to the north again and headed down the valley. Retracing our steps to the base of the ephemeral stream where the fur seals guard the historic artifacts that the whalers left.

Along the shoreline, we saw small pink krill, the great food source of the Southern Ocean. These were hard to spot amongst the many pieces of feathers which cluttered the tideline from the moulting penguins. By now the tide had dropped, leaving the beach steaming where it had retreated. Evidence of ongoing magma movement still exists on Deception Island and with continuous seismic observations and GPS positioning the scale of the volcanic activity is monitored. As magma pushes its way up from the mantle to the surface of the sea bed, it permeates through fractures giving rise to small earthquakes all the time. Our observations of the steaming ground and warm water at the edge of the bay are due to the presence of this hot material below the surface.

Starting at the floating dry dock, we made our way around the remains of Hektor’s whaling station and Base B. The mist lifted revealing the lime green and yellow cliffs behind Europa in the bay, the perfect backdrop to our photos. To the north of the old settlement, the aircraft hanger reminds us of the more recent research that has been carried out here.

From 1943 to 1969 Bisco House was occupied as the main establishment for the British Scientific work here in the South Shetland Islands. The end to this station came abruptly after two eruptions in 1967 and 1969 the latter of which caused a mudflow, due to the melting of large volumes of the glacier above, which bulldozed down into the Base and the whaler’s graveyard.

In the evening, Jamie also told the story of the aviation history of Deception Island. The comradery of the whalers injected energy into constructing some form of runway for the Hubert Wilkins to make the first flight in Antarctic airspace in the summer of 1928-29. The flight lasted only 20 minutes however it carved the way for future aviation in the Antarctic.

On returning to the landing site, Laura put her scientist hat on again and took some samples of the sediments from the tidal zone. During our visit to Antarctica, any contact with the ground is to be avoided where possible due to the potential introduction of invasive species. On this occasion, with clean equipment and the correct permit, we are able to take samples and investigate what living organisms can be found in these shallow sea sediments. Many of the sites where we land are made up of coarse boulders brought down to the coastlines by glaciers therefore there is no opportunity for taking sediment samples. The small stones from ash and erosion of the tuffs at Deception Island make a good spot for sampling. On the other hand, a number of voyage crew were sat for a considerable amount of time with screwdrivers and paperclips removing every last stone from the sole of their boots.

We traveled north over lunch, making our way through Port Foster, the caldera of the volcano, and into Telefon Bay where we would go ashore in the afternoon. Again, the clouds came and went, occasionally revealing Cross Hill, our target for the afternoon.

We went ashore in the zodiacs, landing in a small lagoon where the most recent eruptions of Deception Island in 1970 had created circular craters flooded by seawater today. A large Weddell Seal relaxed on the beach without taking any notice of our goings on. It had a beautiful silvery speckled belly that looked to be bulging from its last feed.

We began our ascent, from sea level to 183 meters of evaluation along the rim of one of the craters in a clockwise direction. Our view increasingly obscured by the cloud cover and the windspeed gradually growing as we gained height. There was no promised view from the summit cairn however a full description of what we would have been visible helped with our bearings. Many a photo were taken of the rest of our group emerging from the cloud along the black volcanic ridge.

On the descent, a clearing passed over giving us the opportunity to see all the way across Port Foster as far as Neptune’s window and Neptune’s Bellows where we had come into the caldera this morning. The directions came as a surprise to many as they often do when disorientating mist envelopes us.

For some, the walk went on, summiting the next rise and skirting around the loose volcanic ground to the lagoons, completing a full circular loop.

After hauling the zodiacs back on deck, harnesses were donned to unfurl the topsails. Next it was time to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after a day outside, walking and learning about this moody and characterful Martian landscape. After the energy of a delicious dinner was inside us, we were out on deck hauling on lines again. The topsails were set and the outer jib to create the spectacular sight of us sailing through Neptune’s Bellow. Everyone was out on deck which was thick with lines from bracing and setting sail. All was abandoned briefly as we stood and watched as the dramatic cliffs of Cathedral Crags passed us by on port side. The Bransfield Strait lay ahead of us, but with north-westerly winds were for once going in the right direction, running our way towards Spert Island.

The cloud level rose, revealing the high glaciated mountains of Livingstone Island behind the Sewing Machine Needles stacks just off the southern coast of Deception Island. Perfect calm conditions for our southward Bransfield crossing caused instant fading of the earlier memories we had of this ferocious stretch of water.

📷 Laura