Lemaire Channel

Lemaire Channel is a strait off Antarctica, between Kiev Peninsula in the mainland's Graham Land and Booth Island. Nicknamed "Kodak Gap" by some, it is one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica; steep cliffs hem in the iceberg-filled passage, which is 11 km long and just 1,600 metres wide at its narrowest point.

This article is about the sea passage off Antarctica. For the passage along Tierra del Fuego (South America), see Le Maire Strait.
Location of Kiev Peninsula in Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula.

It was first seen by the German expedition of 1873-74, but not traversed until December 1898, when the Belgica of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition passed through. Expedition leader Adrien de Gerlache named it for Charles Lemaire (1863-1925), a Belgian explorer of the Congo.

The channel has since become a standard part of the itinerary for cruising in Antarctica; not only is it scenic, but the protected waters are usually as still as a lake, a rare occurrence in the storm-wracked southern seas, and the north-south traverse delivers vessels close to Petermann Island for landings. The principal difficulty is that icebergs may fill the channel, especially in early season, obliging a ship to backtrack and go around the outside of Booth Island to reach Petermann.

  • In the north entry of Lemaire Channel looking south, from the deck of the Hanseatic.
  • Glaciers and cliffs reflected in still waters at the south end of the channel.
  • Russian cruise ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov in the Lemaire Channel
  • Icebergs in the channel

See also

References

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