Home to the largest cemetery and the largest colony of chinstrap penguins, Deception island defies all stereotypes about Antarctica. Set in South Shetlands, this horse-shoe shaped island is the only volcano where you can sail right into the heart of its caldera, soak your feet at the geothermal beaches, and visit an old whaling station.

First discovered in 1820 by the British, this island has always been of geo-political interest to the international community – from the Chilean, Argentinian and the British all claiming it to be theirs. And that is no surprise at all – it enjoys a strategic location, is strikingly ice-free, and forms a great natural harbor since it’s shielded from the harsh Antarctic weather.

Sealing, whaling and … tourism

Human activity on the deception island began with sealing, and when the seals were hunted to extinction by the early 1900s, attention turned to whaling. Norwegians started whaling in earnest in the early 1900s. The ships bought the whales to the Hektor whaling station to covert into whale oil. Hektor station closed in the 1930s, as the price of whale oil fell and it was no longer profitable to hunt whales in the Antarctic. British researchers then used the same site for their scientific station. Multiple subsequent eruptions in the latter half of the 1900s caused the British base to close.

Thankfully, whaling is illegal in most countries today. However, it’s mind-blowing that more than 1000 whales are still killed every year as Norway, Iceland and Japan continue to engage in commercial whaling

Deception island is now part of the Antarctic Treaty and one of the most visited Antarctic islands. Perhaps the most striking thing abut this island is that it is home to 400k chinstrap penguins, most of them living on a cliff-top on a protected part. The island boasts some nice short hikes to vantage points, overlooking a geothermal lagoon on the interior and crashing waves on the other end.

Today, Deception Island offers a tiny window into the seafarers’ early days on the island. Planning your Antarctica adventure?

“The whale carcasses, the rusting whale oil containers, and the crumbling huts – all a reminder of the impact humans continue to have on our natural heritage

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About Praveen Maloo

Praveen is currently based out of Seattle, United States. He loves coffee, conversations, micro-brews, and intimate jazz music scenes. When its not raining in Seattle, he can be seen enjoying the beautiful outdoors of the Pacific North-West.

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