This morning, we found ourselves beset by tempestuous seas, however our captain skillfully navigated National Geographic Explorer through a narrow passage called Neptune’s Bellows, beyond which we were pleased to find the relatively calm, ice-free waters of Port Foster. All around us were the snowy mountains of Deception Island, which now encircled us like an enormous ring. We could see steam rising from beaches where black sand met the frigid water, reminding us that we were now inside the flooded caldera of an active volcano.
While we waited for the wind to ease, we were offered a fascinating educational program on board. After lunch, as expected, the wind dropped to a manageable level, and we took to the Zodiacs which deposited us ashore at Whalers Bay. Here we explored the famous historic site featuring many structures from an early 20th-century whaling station. Some of us also undertook a two-mile roundtrip hike along the steaming beach and up onto the caldera rim where we peered through a huge gap in the rock, known as Neptune’s Window.
