Deception Island - Icebergs and Penguins - 9
Antarctic Peninsula
From Antarctica to the Pacific coast of South America
Patagonian Glacier World
The Long Journey Home
Final thoughts and helpful tips
February 11, 2026 - Deception Island
We are back to the South Shetland Islands [↗]. Before heading south again tomorrow on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, we are stopping at Deception Island today. This island is probably on the agenda of every expedition ship. Its spectacular landscape and many landing opportunities make it almost a must-see. We are not alone today either. A smaller Argentine ship is moored in the neighboring bay, and further away at an old whaling station, there is probably another one.
Deception Island is an active volcano whose caldera collapsed and flooded a few thousand years ago. At 7 a.m., we sail into the caldera through a narrow passage called Neptune's Bellows. As this was announced yesterday, the Inspiration Walk fills up just in time for the entrance.
Personally, I don't find the entrance that spectacular. Yes, you have to sail close to the cliffs because an underwater rock in the middle of the passage blocks the way, and nautically this is certainly a challenge. But I find the colors and structures of the mountains much more interesting.
The view from the cabin window is more impressive when we leave at noon. Due to the limited angle of view, you can't see the sky, which makes the rock face seem even closer and more powerful.
Half an hour later, we reach Pendulum Cove. We won't find many animals here. It's all about the landscape – and for those who still can't get enough, the opportunity to go swimming. Due to volcanic activity, the ground here is warm and so is the water – at least on the surface. Steam even rises from it. Air temperature, by the way, is -4°C.
There are several paths to the surrounding hills and the beach is also freely accessible. I walk to a small viewpoint, perhaps a quarter of the way up the hills surrounding the beach. Then I realize that I can either hike or take pictures. I can't do both. Since climbing a hill on Deception Island is not particularly high on my list of priorities, I head back down to the plain.
As already mentioned, the ground here is warm. This causes the snowdrifts to melt from below, creating a thin, hollow layer of ice that eventually breaks, leaving behind interesting edges. So I spend most of the hour and a half we have here photographing abstract shapes and structures.
A single penguin has meanwhile arrived at the landing site and is obviously very excited to see what these blue and orange-clad creatures are doing there. A little further on, I also find some dead snake stars. The warm water has boiled them to death and washed them up on the beach.
There's not much else on the agenda today. Around noon, we'll lift anchor and head south. I'm not really interested in this afternoon's lecture. The only “must” is the Re/PreCap at 6 p.m. So I have plenty of time to take care of the pictures. I haven't even looked at yesterday's yet.
One last highlight occurs during dinner, once again at the window of the full-service restaurant. In addition to the almost obligatory penguins, a whale shows up. Maybe 20 meters away, it comes to the surface, waves its fin, and continues on in the opposite direction of our voyage.
