Voyage Journal 7902 Day 9 Day 9 - January 26, 2009 - South
Shetland Islands By Berenice Charpin Whalers Bay, Deception
Island – Lat. 62° 59’ S, Long. 60° 34’ W Barrientos Island,
Aitcho Islands – Lat. 62° 24’ S, Long. 59° 47’ W Temperature:
4ºC / 40ºF, Pressure: 979hPa 55km/h NW wind Very early in the
morning, we entered Deception Island. The navigation through the
very narrow passage known as “Neptune’s Bellows” was
breathtaking: the Captain skilfully led the Prince Albert II
close to the cliffs in order to avoid the shallow waters.
Deception Island is horseshoe-shaped and 8 nautical miles in
diameter, enclosing a large harbour called Port Foster. This bay
inside Deception Volcano's caldera is a landlocked basin 5
nautical miles long and 3.5 nautical miles wide. Deception is
the largest of three recent volcanic centres in the South
Shetlands, with Penguin and Bridgeman Islands being the other
two. The rim has an average elevation of 300 meters. It is
composed of lava and cinders, but above 100 meters it is d