Mar 25, 2015 deception island is an island in the south shetland islands archipelago, with one of the safest harbours in antarctica. Wreckage of a whaling station whalers bay deception island. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously. Thursday morning dawned cloudy, but the overcast soon gave way to scattered clouds and sunlight as we approached deception island. This gap in deception islands caldera is the gateway to its inner bay, called port foster.
Deception island volcano is located on the axis of the bransfield rift spreading center. Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctic peninsula. It fulfilled that role for 20 years, until whale oil prices petered out. There, a black gravel beach hosts the scattered remains of rusted structures and whaling equipment, and water sometimes releases magmaheated steam into the frigid air. Whalers bay, the landing site for this morning it just around the corner, soon. This island is still an active volcano, with its center a caldera that has filled with sea water. The eruption on deception island could also disrupt air traffic in south america, australia and africa and globally as air currents spread deadly ash. The island forms a natural harbour and was a popular base for whaling ships in the 19th century. Deception island, antarctica the land of fire and ice. One of the safest harbors in the antarctic, it is almost an entirely enclosed circle of water with only the narrowest of passageways for boats to enter. Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctica where. Antarctica swimming on deception island antarctica.
Deception island is an island in antarctica belonging to the south shetland islands archipelago. But deception islands past is full of conflict and destruction. Reports of abundant stocks drew the adventurous from the early 1800s onwards. It is one of the most incredible islands in the world. While various countries have asserted sovereignty, it is still administered under the antarctic treaty system. As mentioned above, it has a part of the outer rim which dips below sea level making it navigable, and why it was an ideal place to port for the whale hunts. Deception island has been a focus of human activity in antarctica since the early 1820s, when sealing expeditions first ventured through the mouth of the dragon into the spacious harbour of port foster. Mar 08, 2018 deception island, made of the volcanos caldera and located near the tip of the antarctic peninsula, has erupted several times since humans first set foot in the south shetlands around 1820. Aug 30, 2017 deception island is one of the more sheltered harbours in antarctica and thus a great place for zodiac boat excursions that bring you on to land. Topographic map of deception island click image to enlarge the detail.
Deception island is a really interesting place because it used to be a whaling station in the early 1900. On the way, we saw small boats half buried by the ground, huge whale bones as a grim reminder of the whaling past of deception island, skeletons of small buildings, and thick ice floes on the shore of the beach. Deception island in the south shetland islands was the site of some of the earliest commercial activity to be carried out in the antarctic with the early 19th century hunting of antarctic fur seals. People used to live and work there and left so many interesting artifacts, like old boats, whale carcasses, houses, anchors etc. Whalers bay in deception islandour last landing in. Deception island is an island in the south shetland islands archipelago, with one of the safest harbours in antarctica. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local. Deception island ominous and beautiful antarctica the. Deception island was lacking in the colonies of cute penguins and lazy fur seals of our other landings in antarctica, however, it is tragically beautiful. The island conceals a secret bay, a sunken caldera, accessible from the sea by a single narrow passage.
This decimated the whale population until whaling had to be. Once used as whaling station, deception island is now a popular tourist attraction because of its natural hot springs a perfect opportunity to wear your bikinis and swimsuits in the middle of freezing antarctica. This remarkable island is located in the south shetland islands, north of the antarctic peninsula. Dec 04, 2017 the eruption on deception island could also disrupt air traffic in south america, australia and africa and globally as air currents spread deadly ash. The first antarctic whaling season of admiralen 19051906. Deception island in the south shetland islands was the site of some of the earliest commercial activity to be carried out in the antarctic with the early 19th century. Discussion in landscape started by fujiphotog, feb 23, 2018. After two days of crossing the drake passage, deception island was our first stop on my antarctic adventure.
A fleet of factory ships, built to process blubber, crowded the bay. Wreckage of a whaling station whalers bay deception island south shetland islands antarctica poster print 36 x. One thing you might not expect to see in the antarctic is a boiling cauldron of heat, but thats exactly what deception island is. Due to its location and topography, deception island was a favoured refuge from storms and icebergs in antarctica in the early 19th century. A plaque from outside tonsberg house now dismantled and removed on signy island in the south orkneys group. Before long there were major crashes in the populations of some wildlife. If you dig the sand away from the shore, you release boiling hot water. Theyre some of the industrys most passionate and seasoned experts, whose mission is to educate and enrich the passenger experience. Feb 28, 2016 deception island, south shetland islands, antarctica posted on february 28, 2016 by richardcedwards an abandoned whaling station building viewed from the shore in a blizzard, deception island, south shetlands archipelago, northwest of the northern tip of the antarctic peninsula. This british antarctic survey base was built on the site of a norwegian whaling station founded in 1921.
Deception island, made of the volcanos caldera and located near the tip of the antarctic peninsula, has erupted several times since humans first set foot in the south shetlands around 1820. Deception island was an old whalers station and all that is left of it today is a reminder of just how cruel human beings can be. Travel to deception island everything everywhere travel blog. It therefore became a popular location for sealers and whalers until the station was abandoned in 1931, following a drop in whale oil prices and the great depression. An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of. Top 5 things to see and do in deception island, antarctica.
Death is the making of the north water, ian mcguires bloody, gripping novel set in the middle of the 19th century aboard the volunteer. Apr 20, 2020 deception island is a horseshoe shaped island that forms part of the south shetland islands archipelago. If youre booking a trip to antarctica, i have a great tip on getting a cheap trip to antarctica on my travel blog, and have written over 30 posts on my visit to the white continent. Mobydick or, the whale by herman melville, in the heart of the sea. Nearly a century later it was the site of the most extensive anchorage for the reconstructed ships and ocean liners used as nonpelagic whale. As you cruise the southern ocean on your exploration of antarctica, an exciting stop is the active volcano caldera that is deception island.
Jul 05, 2016 historian damien sanders talks whaling history at deception island, antarctica. Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctica. Easily recognized on any map by its brokenring shape, deception islands collapsed volcanic cone provides one of the safest natural harbors in the world, despite periodic eruptions. Its name gives away it original purposewhalers bay started as a norwegian whaling station in 1911. The central crater of deception island is a caldera. A unique and fascinating polar destination comprising ashlayered glaciers, steaming beaches, and barren volcanic slopes, this island of fire and ice is one of the most spectacular places to visit on an expedition cruise to antarctica. May 29, 20 deception island is a truly marvellous place, without doubt one of the best places i have ever been. The harbour was first used by british and american sealers who used deception as a hunting base for fur seals. Yet, with the possible exception of maxwell bay on king george island, deception island has little in common with the rest of antarctica, and is dominated by derelict buildings. Deception island is antarcticas most confusing vacation.
Explore the haunting remains of an antarctic whaling. The first authenticated sighting of deception island. Explore deception island, the active antarctic volcano thats home to. Deception island neptunes bellows deception island is an island unequalled in the world. Deception island is located in the south shetland islands off the antarctic peninsula. Deception islands distinctive horseshoe shape stands out on charts. Deception island is an island in the south shetland islands archipelago, with the safest harbours in antarctica. It is a sunken volcano, the crater of which, about 10 miles 16 km in diameter, forms one of the best anchorages in the antarctic. Deception island volcano in antarctica is full of wildlife. Whaling station and british base, whalers bay, deception island advertisement the whalers bay station was used by a norwegianchilean whaling company in the early 1900s as a ship base. She is the host of the podcast literary disco, the director of writing programs at the mark twain house, the cofounder of sea tea improv, and an occasional radio producer and guest for wnpr. She is a whale ship sailing from hull to lerwick, in the shetland islands, and finally up into the waters that just a few years earlier had swallowed up sir john franklin and his men as they searched in vain for the northwest passage. It has one of the safest harbours in antartica which largely explains as to how it became the base for a commercial whaling station for almost 30 years.
Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctic. In february 1944, the secret british wartime mission, operation tabarin the forerunner to the british antarctic survey established its first base base b in the abandoned hektor whaling station. The plaque is a whale vertebra backbone found on a beach near the base, from a whale killed by the whalers, painted by one of the. Deception island has been covered and then deserted by many, and the dilapidated shells of buildings, boats, and whaling equipment remain as proof of its productive years as a norwegianchilean. Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctic peninsula, western antarctica, antarctica. Deception island combines the novelty of sailing into an active volcano with the possibility of swimming, or at least wallowing, in thermally heated water. Extensive whaling operations were carried out between 1906 and 1931 at this location.
The ringshaped island is in fact the top of a volcano, a caldera. The north water is a bloody, gripping thriller set on board a. Page 1 of 2 1 2 next fujiphotog amateur photographer. Deception island forms part of the south shetland islands. Diving at deception island, diving in deception island.
One of the areas only safe harbors, deception island offered a refuge from storms and was also the site of several research stations and whaling operations. We woke up very early to enjoy a hot bit of hot springs on deception island. Deception island forms part of the south shetland islands archipelago and, at a latitude of 62 degrees 57 minutes south, these are. Human impacts on antarctica and threats to the environment whaling and sealing the hunt for whales and seals was the reason for the initial exploration of antarctica. Whalers bay, deception island, antarctica fuji x forum. But on our last morning in antarctica, we had a nice long stop in the bay, which is surrounded by deception island, so we could explore the nowabandoned british base b. Philip hoares top 10 whale tales there is more to whalebased literature than just mobydick, writes the social historian and author of leviathan, or the whale mon 6 oct 2008 04. Zoom in on the south shetland islands, just off the northern tip of the antarctic peninsula, and youll see what appears to be a giant cheerio floating in the south atlantic. For the true adventurers, nothing compares to a visit to the antarctic and there is one particular island with many secrets and a bloodstained past filled with the horrors of the whaling industry. Philip hoares top 10 whale tales books the guardian. In the nineteenth century, whale hunters would take handheld weapons to sea in a small boat and, when they caught a whale, they would bring it back to shore to convert it into products like oil, margarine, soap and corsets. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969.
The north water is a bloody, gripping thriller set on. There were huts and shelters and, later, scientific observatory stations, which were damaged during the last eruptions in 1967 and 1969. Factory ships took full advantage of the protect cove and processed whale blubber into whale oil, a valuable commodity for lubrication, lighting, and other purposes in the early 20th century. Deception island has a radius of approximately 12 kilometers, making it seem quite massive. Historian damien sanders talks whaling history at deception island, antarctica. Explore deception island holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Deception island travel story and pictures from antarctica. Brief summary of whaling in the antarctic tom krepitch 2014 modern whaling is much different than it was in the time of herman melvilles moby dick. Deception island, one of the south shetland islands, in the drake passage, off the antarctic peninsula. Meet and learn from quarks antarctic expedition team including scientists, historians, naturalists and researchers. By the time antarctic whaling started, it had reached the industrial stage with explosive harpoons and small, fast catcher boats. The ruins from a whaling station, abandoned years ago still remain.
It was our fourth and final day in antarctica and we had made it to deception island in time for sunset. Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctica posted on february 28, 2016 by richardcedwards an abandoned whaling station building viewed from the shore in a blizzard, deception island, south shetlands archipelago, northwest of the northern tip of the antarctic peninsula. Africa agreement antarctic antarctic whaling average baleen whales barrels of oil blubber blue whales boat britain british capital carcasses cent cooker countries crew decline entire equipment established. This island, still an active volcano, as apparent from the smell of sulfur and rising of st. Ships would be sent south to harvest the whales with no regard to the long term protection of the fishery, the plunder of antarctic whales was more akin to mining than to a sustainable fishery. A website about deception island containing information on volcanic activity, flora and fauna, history, climate and current activities. A boom in pelagic antarctic whaling followed, with companies now free to.
Then you have to dig channels to allow the freezing. Deception island played a central and important role in the international affairs of antarctica. Its name gives away it original purposewhalers bay started as a norwegian whaling. Deception island was an old whalers station and all. The island is basically a caldera of an active volcano that causes major destruction on scientific stations based on the island in 1967 and 1969. Deception island the awful consequences of whaling in. Ohiggins antarctic base argentina 170 km from deception island recorded a significant earthquake on 12. Its an island of doom where the worst acts of human nature played out on the shores of antarctica. The tragedy of the whaleship essex by nathaniel philbrick. Deception island, antarctica one of the eeriest corners. Deception island, antarctica one of the eeriest corners of. After a short briefing, we walked towards neptune window, a lower part of the wall of the caldera.
In the austral summer of 19067, a norwegian captain, adolfus andresen, began whaling and establish the hektor whaling station at deception island in a place called whalers bay. Deception island is an active volcano located in the south shetland islands, to the north of the antarctic peninsula. South shetland islands deception island bark europa. But deception island, aptly named, hides its history.
As mentioned above, it has a part of the outer rim which dips below sea level making it navigable, and why it was an ideal place to. The caldera has a diameter of about 15 kilometres and has a narrow entrance on one side. Deception island is one of the more sheltered harbours in antarctica and thus a great place for zodiac boat excursions that bring you on to land. Oct 06, 2008 philip hoares top 10 whale tales there is more to whalebased literature than just mobydick, writes the social historian and author of leviathan, or the whale mon 6 oct 2008 04. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged. One of the areas only safe harbors, deception island offered a refuge from storms and was also the site of several research stations and whaling. It therefore became a popular location for sealers and whalers until the station was abandoned in. Dec 23, 20 but deception island s past is full of conflict and destruction. Deception island is a truly marvellous place, without doubt one of the best places i have ever been.
The island, lying some 15 kilometers 9 miles south of livingston island, is nearly kilometers 8 miles in diameter and rises to 602 meters 1,968 ft at mount pond. Water boat ruins and artifacts of a norwegian whaling station abandoned in 1931 whalers bay on deception island antarctic archipelago poster print 11 x 17. Aug 21, 20 due to its location and topography, deception island was a favoured refuge from storms and icebergs in antarctica in the early 19th century. A land of slaughter and blood situated on an active volcano waiting to erupt. This island is volcanic, and the thermal activity warms up the water just below the surface. Deception island island week 5 monday, 4th october 2010 by robk.
Jun 07, 2015 this is a guest post from julia pistell. If youre lucky, your ship will move into deception island first thing in the morning to capture the strange feel of this former whaling base in the early golden hour. This island is still an active volcano, with its center a caldera that has. Abandoned whaling camp on deception island in deception. With the rise of pelagic whaling, where fleets of ships with efficient. Take a dip from the shore and warm up by lying in the volcanic.
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