18 Jun 2018

Volcanic Calderas on Simushir and Yankicha Islands

This morning we stepped back in time, visiting an abandoned sub-station in Broutona Bay located inside a flooded volcanic caldera on the northern end of Simushir Island. Decommissioned in the early 1990's, the vegetation is clearly winning the battle over the buildings which remain. As we wandered around the base, it was very hard to imagine that a small community existed here.

Enjoying flat seas and blue skies we sailed northward to Yankicha Island - it is incredible that these amazing locations are so close to one another. While we enjoyed lunch in the dining rooms, the Captain and his crew skillfully moved us to a brand new island and another unique environment to explore.

Dropping achor at 4.30pm, we waited until 5.30pm to board the zodiacs - we needed the tide to rise in order to get across the sand bar into the caldera as well ensuring we were present at the prime time for bird watching.We were not dissappointed - initial cruising gained us great views of arctic foxes, while a landing in the geothermal area allowed the walk enthusiasts to gain some height and great views over the caldera.

Returning to the ship we were treated to one of the great wildlife shows on the planet - we had timed it perfectly and for two and a half hours watched in awe as thousands and thousands of auklets returned to the island for the night. The skies were back as waves and waves of birds flew past us - the sound of the wings and the birds calling to one another was incredibly powerful. No picture could ever capture the feeling that we all experienced watching this spectacular event.

© LGwynn (from file)