Deception Island Entrance In Antarctica

By Jonny Blair


Deception Island is a totally magnificent place and this was another amazing journey on planet earth, almost James Bond style as we waited on deck. What lay ahead was the boat having to squeeze its way through a narrow passage called Neptune's Bellows so that we could get inside Deception Island. There was a sense of wonder all around.

It was cold and chilly on deck and a wee bit windy. A brave crowd had gathered on deck to view our narrow entrance through the slim channel into Deception Island. It is a superb way to build up your backpacking acumen, your travel awareness and to conquer your lasting fears of backpacking around the world. Certainly Antarctica is a dreamland every traveler needs to see.

To the right of our ship as the captain sailed her gallantly through the tight gap. Why a tight gap? you may ask and why make a big deal of it? The reason is Deception Island, by its very shape is like a small "c" letter from a bird's eye view.

And the entrance is like going into the letter "c" so this was a special slow motion part of the Antarctica adventure, another exciting time to be up on deck as the captain of our ship, the MS Expedition, Bulgarian Asparuh Chorbadzhiev sailed us into the narrow entrance at Neptune's Bellows.

While on board you don't always get the chance to visit the bridge of the vessel so this was a great chance to see the captain at work, doing an excellent job getting the boat through the narrow passage!

A photo of how the captain did it shows the concentration in his eyes as we steered ourselves through the straight and narrow passage to Neptune's Bellows at Deception Island. Some of those onboard were amazed by the captain's professionalism and work at getting us through the tight gap.

Where is Neptune's Bellows? 63 degrees south and 60 degrees west at Deception Island in Antarctica. The entrance means you arrive at Port Foster which is in the South Shetland Islands as well. Neptune is the Roman God of nature which is where the name is derived from but we learnt a few other facts about the naming of Antarctic places on this adventure.

Despite strong winds, the captain steered the boat calmly through Neptune's Bellows and into Deception Island where a magical experience lay ahead. The ongoing Antarctica adventures were a sight to behold and the memories will last forever. This was an amazing journey!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment