As I awaken we are approaching a small volcanic island at the lower end of the South Shetland Island chain. Deception Island is shaped like a broken ring due to one of the edges of the volcano's caldera having collapsed - forming a natural entrance. The opening has allowed a bay to be formed. To get into the bay we have to go through Neptune's Bellows which gets it's name from the rush of air that goes back and forth. Once through the entrance we reach fairly calm waters and approach Pendulum Cove. We are allowed to make a landing on a black volcanic sand beach where a strange phenomenon occurs. Superheated water from the center of the volcano runs down to the ocean in rivulets and mixes with the ocean water. Water temperatures at the waters edge can reach 90°F and are hot enough to boil krill and other amphipods. The first marine mammal of the trip that we see is a juvenile Antarctic fur seal. The animal is cooperative enough to stay around for the crew to get a number of good shots of it before he retreats to the ocean. Deception Island is also the site of a destroyed Chilean base camp. The Chilean government claimed this landing in the 1950's until a volcanic eruption destroyed the camp in 1965. The camp was never rebuilt but it's ruins remain. Flying around the camp are kelp gulls and South Polar skuas. It almost feels like I am back at the Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld as we have had both of the species in our exhibit. On the way back to the landing I have come across the carcass of a chinstrap penguin. I am informed by the expedition staff that last week this bird came up on shore and was attacked and killed by a skua! This is very surprising to me because the behavior of skuas is to eat penguin chicks and carrion but they do not usually take adult birds. I guess this penguin was not so lucky. We return to the ship and set sail for the Lemaire Channel. Along the way we have spied a number of whales off in the distance but they are too far away to identify. As it gets near dark we also encounter a number of icebergs that have been quite close to the ship. My excitement is really growing now as tomorrow I will get to set foot on the Antarctic continent itself!

Rob Yordi