Deception Island, located in the South Shetland Islands, is the home base for many Antarctic expeditions, and today is known for its beautiful volcanic black sand beaches, stunning black and white landscape and relaxing hot springs and as an outpost for scientific research.
But how did Deception Island get its name? In 1820, American explorer and seal hunter Nathaniel Palmer discovered it and spent a couple of days exploring it. While it looked like an ordinary island upon its initial discovery, he soon realized that something made this island incredible.
Upon sailing through Neptune's Bellows, the bay of Port Foster's narrow entrance, he discovered that the island curved around a flooded caldera, the remnant of what is still an active volcano.
He dubbed the island Deception Island after this discovery, and it became a whaling and sealing expedition port for decades. Later on, it became a scientific research outpost after decades of various countries vying for control over the deceptively unique island.
Today, the remnants of a whaling shack and the bones of the behemoth creatures are an active tourist attraction, as are the volcanic hot springs and black sand beaches.
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