Making the most of Whalers Bay Deception Island
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise vessels cannot berth at Whalers Bay; inflatable zodiac boats carry passengers ashore.
Sightseeing
Deception Island gained its name because a casual look makes it seem similar to the surrounding islands. A closer inspection reveals a ring-shaped island with a narrow entrance into the inner bay, called Neptune's Bellows. Beyond this opening is Whalers bay. The entrance to Whaler's Bay was found many years after the island itself. Cruising through the narrow opening was quite an experience. Deception Island is the largest of the South Shetland Islands' three active volcanoes. Its latest eruptions occurred in 1956, 1967, 1969 and 1970.…
The whaling station's remains, including its large boilers, are still present today. Such processing plants were used before larger, self-contained factory ships were built. Those larger ships travelled with smaller vessels, which hunted whales and brought them back to the larger ship for processing. This was much more economical than land based operations.