Deception Island, Antarctic Peninsula, January 16, 2003 <

We wake up at 4.30 AM. This morning we'll try to land at Bailey Head. A combination of a very steep beach, exposure to the open ocean, large waves and a strong undercurrent makes landing at Bailey Head something not to be taken lightly. During a mandatory meeting the evening before we were shown a video of last year's landing. Consequently the lines were much shorter this morning. As we waited for our turn to get into a zodiac the sea happened to be reasonably flat and the wind was almost absent resulting in a landing much easier than expected.

The black sand of the beach clearly indicates the volcanic origin of Deception Island. As far as we can see there are large numbers of chinstrap penguins getting in or out of the sea. The next surprise is Penguin Highway, a file of chinstraps walking either to or from the sea. With only a few exceptions the penguins walking towards the sea walk on the left side of Penguin Highway, while those returning from the sea walk on the right. Penguin Highway follows the course of a small river, passes some impressive rock formations and disappears in the distance.

We climb the morainic debris on our right and walk towards the interior. Carefully we walk around and sometimes through chinstrap colonies. Beneath us the Penguin Highway is still visible. The hills around us are literally covered with chinstrap nests. We decide to walk towards a high mountain ridge in front of us. Arriving at the ridge, it turns out to be a steep cliff and far below us we see many more chinstrap penguins. The scenery is fantastic and the morning sun adds to the relaxed atmosphere.

We sit down and enjoy life in the colonies: some chinstraps are courting, others are chasing each other. Many are sitting on eggs or are feeding their young. Such an abundance of penguin life also attracts the local predators. We see skuas trying to steal chicks or eggs and witness several successful attempts. Shattered eggs and small pink feet connected by pieces of spine are the silent remainders of these successful attempts.

Much to soon its time to leave this idyllic place, even though we've skipped breakfast and even though Doug has extended this landing with 90 minutes. Our departure is an easy exercise again and we're off to our next destination, Whaler's Bay. Soon we're approaching Neptune's Bellows, the entrance to Deception Island's caldera. Between the remains of an old Norwegian whaler's station and the ruins of the british research station that was left after the 1968 - 1970 eruption, we go ashore.

We first probe the amazing acoustic in one of the old whale-oil storage tanks before we continue towards the British Antarctic Survey station. We find a tractor almost buried in volcanic ash, a dilapidated orange plane behind an equally dilapidated hangar and several ruined buildings. In between to buildings a Weddell seal is watching us walking by.

At three o'clock it's time for a swim into one of Whaler's Bay's hot pools. The thermally heated water is almost too hot to bath in. Fortunately the inflow of water with Antarctic temperatures keeps us from overheating. After a dip into the ocean's water I'm now a full member of the Deception Island Iceberg Club. When everybody is on board again, the anchored is lifted for a small cruise around the caldera. We leave the sheltered caldera again through Neptune's Bellows and with a last glance at the beautifully formed rock formations Deception Island slowly disappears in the distance.

To be continued...