A short guide about Sea Kayaking travel to South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands is a string of islands not administered by any one nation but currently covered by the Antarctic Treaty where all territorial claims are suspended. It is located 960km south of Tierra del Fuego from the bottom tip of South America and 160km north of the Antarctic Peninsula across the Bransfield Strait. The islands were discovered in 1819 by the British explorer William Smith who described the South Shetland Islands as “barren and covered with snow, with seals in abundance”.
The string of Islands - some of which are volcanic and still active - run parallel to the north west coast of Antarctica and include eleven major islands, some of which are Elephant and Clarence Islands, King George and Nelson Islands, Robert, Greenwich, Livingston, Snow, and Deception Islands, Smith and Low Islands, as well as several minor ones with many islets and rocks.
One or more destinations belonging to the South Shetland Islands will most certainly be on the travel itinerary of every Antarctic Peninsula Tour, due to the ease of access and the many interesting places to visit there. King George Island will give you a hint of what Antarctic is all about, it is the biggest island of the South Shetlands and here you have a chance to disembark in Potter Bay. Visit Aitcho Island, which is between Greenwich and Robert Islands, and then continue on to cross Bransfield and Gerlache Straits to enter Andvord Bay and arrive at Neko Bay.
Even though most of the water in Antarctica sits around freezing all year, you’ll need to make sure you take your bathing cozies if you plan visit Deception Island. As some of the water temperature here reach 70°C and near volcanic areas, the air can be as hot as 40°C. Deception Island is the most comfortable place to swim in Antarctica and if you are in the South Shetland Islands on a tour you will want to say that you "have swum in Antarctica”.