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Volcanic Islands in Antarctica are still occassionally active. Past volcanic eruptions cause the island to collapse in the middle and form a caldera in the center of the island. The water near the shores of the island are thermally heated..and it is possible to swim in the water.
Deception Island is further south from Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands. Deception Island is a volcanic island that last erupted in 1970. The shores of the island are dark volcanic ash. We sailed into the collapsed caldera through a narrow gap in the crater wall called Neptune's Bellows. Yes, I did swim in the water! But you have to run through the thermally heated shore water before you get to the comfortable sauna-like water. One step further into the crater, and it is freezing Antarctic water. Photo by: Nydia R. Hanna, MV Marco Polo, January 1, 1996 |
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