Time 06:04, 62 degrees 59.97' South, 60 degrees 57.89' West, light cloud and bright sunshine all day, clouding over a bit in the evening, Air Temperature 4 oC, Water Temperature 1.2 oC, Wind South force 4 decreasing light variable, Sunrise 4.17am, Sunset 00.39am following morning.
Inside the caldera at Deception Island this morning.
Today was a perfect day in Antarctica. The sun shone all day and the winds were almost non-existent at times, it even felt warm in any sheltered spot. It was hard to believe we were in the same place over a week ago - high winds, snow, rain and mist hiding the amazing scenery we saw today. After cruising the caldera at Deception Island we sailed south to Cuverville and took the passengers on a zodiac trip looking at the large Gentoo Penguin colony and seeing some amazing icebergs once again. We had a near miss when a "small" iceberg split in two and only for the very quick action of Toto our driver we may have gotten wet from the wave it created. We also get great views of two Leopard Seals, one on a blood stained ice flow, obviously not long after dinner. I will now hand you over to Tom Sharpe, our Expedition Geologist, for his next installment of the Geology of the places we are visiting on the cruise.
Today was a great geology day! The weather was incredible – blue skies and sunshine. We were out on deck by 630am to sail into the middle of an active volcano. There aren’t many places in the world where you can do that. Luckily, active doesn’t mean it’s actually erupting, but that it has erupted not long ago, and it’s likely to erupt again sometime.
Top - Stage 1: Deception Island is a typical cone-shaped volcanic island of lava and ash.
Middle - Stage 2: Deception Island erupts in a huge explosive eruption.
Bottom - Stage 3: After the eruption, most of the volcano has been blown away of has collapsed, and the sea floods in.
Deception Island was once a typical cone-shaped volcanic island, but at sometime in its history it had a huge eruption. A lot of the volcano was blown away and a lot collapsed down into the Earth, and the sea flooded in. All that’s left is an island shaped like a ring. There’s a gap in the ring that ships can sail through into the centre of the ring.
Collapsed volcanoes like Deception Island are called calderas.
Middle - Stage 2: Deception Island erupts in a huge explosive eruption.
Bottom - Stage 3: After the eruption, most of the volcano has been blown away of has collapsed, and the sea floods in.
Deception Island was once a typical cone-shaped volcanic island, but at sometime in its history it had a huge eruption. A lot of the volcano was blown away and a lot collapsed down into the Earth, and the sea flooded in. All that’s left is an island shaped like a ring. There’s a gap in the ring that ships can sail through into the centre of the ring.
Collapsed volcanoes like Deception Island are called calderas.
Coloured volcanic ashes from earlier volcanic eruptions.
We had a great view of the layers of volcanic ash from different eruptions, and we saw some buildings of an old whaling station and a British scientific base. 
Ashes from the 1969 eruption at the old British base on Deception Island.
These were mostly destroyed when the volcano erupted between 1967 and 1970. The scientists at the British base and those at a Chilean base had to be evacuated when volcanic ash started falling on them.
We saw the Argentine and Spanish science bases and one of the ships which supplies the Spanish base. The scientists at these bases monitor the volcano for signs of the next eruption. They have equipment that measures earthquakes which might be caused by molten rock moving up towards the surface.
From Deception Island we sailed across the Bransfield Strait and into the Gerlache Strait. We had fantastic views all the way of islands with big mountains covered in ice. And we could see the Antarctic Peninsula, part of the mainland of the Antarctic continent. There were also lots of icebergs.
We saw the Argentine and Spanish science bases and one of the ships which supplies the Spanish base. The scientists at these bases monitor the volcano for signs of the next eruption. They have equipment that measures earthquakes which might be caused by molten rock moving up towards the surface.
From Deception Island we sailed across the Bransfield Strait and into the Gerlache Strait. We had fantastic views all the way of islands with big mountains covered in ice. And we could see the Antarctic Peninsula, part of the mainland of the Antarctic continent. There were also lots of icebergs.
Rocks at Cuverville Island.
In the afternoon we arrived at Cuverville Island and had a brilliant zodiac cruise in calm, sunny weather. It’s a great place for seeing gentoo penguins. But I was interested to see the rocks that the gentoos nest on. The main part of the penguin rookery is on old volcanic rocks. They are lavas that were erupted from volcanoes that existed here 100 million years ago. Over the next few days we’re going to see more volcanic rocks.
A lone Adelie Penguin on an iceberg at Cuverville Island
Cuverville Island with a Leopard Seal in the foreground.
A Leopard Seal after its penguin dinner on an ice flow (note blood stained ice)
Evening Sun from the ship near Cuverville Island tonight.
Wildlife seen between Deception Island
and Cuverville Island
Mammals
Humpback Whale 18+
Leopard Seal 2
Weddell Seal 12+
Fur Seal 2
Birds
Southern Giant Petrel 40+
Black-browed Albatross 13
Cape Petrel 50+
Wilson’s Storm Petrel 20+
Gentoo Penguin 1,000+
Adelie Penguin 1
Snowy Sheathbill 15+
Antarctic Shag 50+ (with large chicks)
Brown “Sub Antarctic” Skua 1
South Polar Skua 3+
Antarctic Tern 100+
Note: A + sign after the counts indicates that we saw at least that number but more may have been present.
Evening Sun from the ship near Cuverville Island tonight.
Wildlife seen between Deception Island
and Cuverville Island
Mammals
Humpback Whale 18+
Leopard Seal 2
Weddell Seal 12+
Fur Seal 2
Birds
Southern Giant Petrel 40+
Black-browed Albatross 13
Cape Petrel 50+
Wilson’s Storm Petrel 20+
Gentoo Penguin 1,000+
Adelie Penguin 1
Snowy Sheathbill 15+
Antarctic Shag 50+ (with large chicks)
Brown “Sub Antarctic” Skua 1
South Polar Skua 3+
Antarctic Tern 100+
Note: A + sign after the counts indicates that we saw at least that number but more may have been present.
