Bulgarians set foot on Smith Island in Antarctica for the first time, the official Facebook page of the Naval Academy "N. Y. Vaptsarov" announced, NOVA reported.
In a very short time window, with good hydrometeorological conditions, on January 10, 2025, the research vessel "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" with ship number 421 (NIK 421) made a transition to Smith Island, in order to go ashore and conduct an inspection and assessment for scientific research activity.
At 2:30 p.m. In a small bay, near the northeastern tip of the island, the two work boats reached the rocky shore, whereby the group of Bulgarian military personnel - in the presence of Prof. Lyubomir Ivanov from the BAI staff - became the first Bulgarians to set foot on this island.
The history and geography of the island are very complex, as its highest peak rises to 2,105 m and there are only two or three documented descents. After the inspection, a second descent is expected with a larger group of scientists, geologists, seismologists, biologists, to collect much-needed samples for the study of this unexplored island giant.