Antarctica Day 2: Deception Island

December 25, 2024

Deception Island is a horseshoe-shaped island that was created from the caldera of a still-active volcano. Its latest eruption was in 1970. It is part of the South Shetlands Island.

The area was enveloped in fog when we arrived which gave it an eerie quality. Although visibility was hampered at times, it was still beautiful.

A colony of chinstrap penguins lives on the shores of the island.

If you look closely, you can see them in the water as well as on land.

We got lucky and some penguins were porpoising alongside the ship, so I was able to get some clearer pictures of them.

Chinstrap penguins get their name from the band of black feathers which starts at one ear, travels under the cheeks and chin and ends up at the other ear. They eat krill and fish. Although one of the most abundant penguins, some scientists believe their numbers are declining as the amount of krill declines.

As a side note, here was our Christmas Eve towel Santa Claus which was accompanied by ginger cookies.