Wilhelmina Bay
Wilhelmina Bay is a bay fifteen miles wide along the west coast of Graham Land in the British Antarctic Territory, lying on the Danco Coast between the Reclus Peninsula and Cape Anna.
The bay was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-1899 led by Adrien de Gerlache. The expedition identified the bay on 29 January 1898, and roughly charted it during February of that year. They named it Baie Wilhelmina after Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who reigned from 1890 to 1948, in recognition of the assistance given to the Belgian Antarctic Expedition by Her Government.
The bay was photographed from the air by the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition of 1956-1957, and partly surveyed from the ground by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey from 'Portal Point' in 1957-1958.
Wilhelmina Bay is nicknamed "Whale-mina Bay" for its large number of humpback whales. It is a popular destination for tourist expedition ships to Antarctica thanks to its abundant whale population and spectacular scenery. The bay is surrounded by steep cliffs full of snow and glaciers. An almost perfect pyramid-shaped peak towers over the water.[1]
Location
- Location map: 64°38’31"S, 62°9’37"W
Pictures
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A kayaker watches whales in Wilhelmina Bay -
Kayakers in Wilhelmina Bay -
Nautical chart showing Wilhelmina Bay -
Expedition vessel Akademik Ioffe sailing into Wilhelmina Bay in January 2014 -
Wilhelmina Bay -
A tourist Zodiac has a close encounter with a humpback whale in Wilhelmina Bay -
Tourists watch a humpback whale dive in Wilhelmina Bay -
A kayaker watches a humpback whale in Wilhelmina Bay
See also
References
- Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Wilhelmina Bay