Foto's

An abandoned whaling station along the black sand beach of Whaler's Bay. Steam rises from the bay as a result of geothermal activity, indeed the water at the shore was very warm and felt great while walking in rubber boots.

Deception Island (Lat. 62°59'S, Long. 60°34'W), one of the South Shetland Islands, is easily recognized on a map by its horseshoe shape. Its collapsed volcanic caldera is breached at Neptune's Bellows and makes for one of the world's safest natural harbors (Whaler's Bay), despite the volcano's periodic eruptions. The island has an interesting history - it was a base for several early exploratory missions - and is still a disputed territory between the Argentineans and the British.

The volcano is still very active and its eruptions have caused evacuations and considerable damage to the stations there. During the 1920-21 whaling season the harbor water boiled and stripped the paint off the ships' hulls. An eruption in 1969 destroyed the British Base in Whalers Bay; the most recent eruption was in 1991-92.

The volcanic activity thermally heats the waters of Pendulum Cove (so-called because of the British pendulum and magnetism experiments held there last century) and some visitors take a dip in the water for the experience.