Look who's here! Welcome to Baily Head, Deception Island!

Dana comes ashore with Rob close behind. It's 5:30am and cold! (photo by ship's photog Nathalie)

It's known to be an extremely difficult landing, attempted only 20% of the time. We got lucky. (photo by Nathalie)

200,000 mated pairs and 100,000 singles: a half-million Chinstrap penguins looking for a good time.

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty..."

Nest building, one rock chip at a time (it's easier if you steal from another nest).

Oops. Not exactly the Fred Astaire of Chinstraps.

Rats. Thought I'd gotten all the schmutz off. Back into the water I go.

I'm not called a chinstrap for nothing!

Where are you going? Can I go too?

"Back at the nest in 1 hour or there'll be hell to pay."

One-two-three out and up!

Eared Fur seal comes ashore, Skua watching carefully.

Along the Penguin Highway, we wade through the pool and (try to) stay out of their way.

Gotta work on that dive timing...

Ah, that's refreshing! (photo by Nathalie)

In the afternoon, we sail through Neptune's Bellows into the crater of Deception Island.

Color lines the volcano's walls.

And sometimes not - snow on the upper flanks.

Thermally heated Pendulum Cove: Hot water but the air was so cold I just couldn't bare it. (photo by Nathalie)

Next stop on Deception, Neptune's Window, created by a huge eruption blast.

We hike up to to the Window, it's further than it looks and we got WARM - but jackets on at all times.

The very tip of the crater wall.

Another sunny day in paradise.

Ah, now you get the crater picture. Hiking little red parkas offer a sense of scale.

Whaler's Bay operated until the 1930s.

That's a dormant, not extinct volcano (last erupted 1970) and seals enjoying the warmth.

Remnant - note the whale vertabrae.

It certainly wasn't a cushy life.

Whale oil tanks sink into the volcanic soil.

An Eared Fur Seal basks in the summer sun.

A Petrel(?) takes off.

We're always on the last Zodiac back to the ship; what's the rush?