In the morning we went to Barrientos Island. This is in the South Shetland Islands, a group of islands just North of the Antarctic Peninsula. Similar to Desolation Island, Barrientos Island was in the middle of the seasonal snow melt. So there were areas covered in snow and areas of rocky outcroppings. It was particularly enjoying to watch the variety of wildlife activity on Barrientos Island. The penguins were nesting, we saw a small chick beneath the mother's under-section. Skua, common seabird, were looking for opportunities to steal the eggs, often the penguins would chase them away. We saw Elephant seals, Fur seals, and a Leopard seal. There were also whale bones scattered across many parts of the island.
In route to Deception Island we had several whale sightings. You could see them blow their spouts. Then they would take a deep dive where their tails would come out of the water.
Deception Island is a caldera, an old volcano crater filled with sea water. The surrounding crater almost forms a complete circle except for a small channel where ships can get in. During the Whaling era there were many whaling camps within the crater as it provides good protection from the sea. There is not much wildlife, just a few entertaining penguins. But we were able to take a nice hike upon the volcanic soil, not a lot of snow here. We climbed up a ridge and were able to get a great view.
After getting back to the ship, we would get out of our gear and put comfortable clothes back on. Then it was upstairs to the lounge to mingle with the other passengers and have a glass of wine before dinner.
One item I brought along was a sleeping mask. For me it worked very well. I sleep better when it is dark and it was always light outside. I had no problems sleeping on the ship.
Typical scene
Whale bones
Entering the caldera
An old whaling station
Overlooking the caldera
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