Antarctica -- October-November 2010

Deception Island. South Shetlands. Off Antarctic Pennisula.

The ship had to stay way over to the right (east) going in. There is a submerged rock in the center of the "entrance" (what SEEMS to be the entrance) and they said the other side had "foul water" (wasn't sure what that meant in this context). The also have to hug that same side on the way out.

(26 Nov 2010)

They said a Hurtigruten ship hit the rock in the center of the channel some years earlier. At first I thought that was the cause of the ship sinking I'd known about. However, it appears (for the ship that struck this rock) passengers were transferred to another ship, and the damaged ship was repaired in place. It apparently ruined the cruise for the passegers in the ship that struck the rock and the ship that picked up the passengers (the second -- now very overcroweded -- ship took everybody back to Ushuaiaas quickly as they could).

Clearly this was something the Hurtigruten people did not talk about much. I suspect the fact that is was mentioned (without anyone asking, that I was aware of) may have been a slipup on someone's part. I don't think the ship's crew or the expedition staff would cover up this incident -- they seemed quite open about several things. However, it's also something they don't highlight in their advertising, understandably.