The South Shetland Islands

 After 2 days at sea, we finally sight land and, to be honest, it is a little disappointing.

These are the South Shetland Islands. The islands that are just north of the Antarctic peninsula. They are tall craggy mountainus islands with snow covered peaks, but not the great white continent we had hoped for. That is still to come.

These islands are steeped in late 19th/early 20th century history when the whalers sought refuge in the natural harbours and bays. Here the whale and seal processing plants were built and these hardy folk made their homes. The early exploration of the area was all about exploitation with the whales and seals being almost wiped out by the industry that sprang up. The remains of the old factories are preserved by the cold here as a memorial to the errors of the past and to remind us how not to continue in the future.

Antartica and it's flora and fauna are now protected, we are allowed to leave no trace of our visit other than footprints. Even going to toilet is not allowed and you have to return to the ship. Whenever you go ashore you walk through disinfectant footbaths to ensure we take no seeds or spores ashore to disrupt the delicate balance of life here.

Our first ports of call are Half Moon Bay and Whalers Bay on Deception Island. This is a volcanic caldura (much like Santorini) although it last erupted as recently as the 1980's. We get into the zodiacs and head ashore. Due to the volcano, there is a hint of the smell of sulphur and the water at the edge is steaming, although it is barely above freezing. While on Deception Island we hike to the top of the highest peak for some incredible photos. We tramp up the mountain and the snow gets deeper as we get higher. The view from the top is spectacular and in the distance we can see our goal. Antartica, the continent. It is a great white land of mountains and peaks. We return to the shore, where some have elected to take a polar plunge. They strip off down to their swimmies and run headlong into the freezing waters, only to turn turtle and run straight back out. A few brave it out and actually swim a few strokes before running ashore into the waiting towels to dry and warm up. They are whisked back to the ship for a warming shower and drink.