Avacha Bay

Avacha bay is a drowned volcanic depression about twenty-four kilometres across with a narrow entrance, deep enough to take any vessel afloat and large enough that it is regularly described as one of the biggest natural harbours in the world - which is why Petropavlovsk was founded on it in 1740 by Bering's expedition and named for his two ships. At the entrance stand the Three Brothers, three rock stacks in a line that are the emblem of the city and carry a Koryak legend about brothers turned to stone shielding the bay from a wave. Boat trips run from the city out past them to Starichkov island, a bird reserve with puffins, guillemots and cormorants, with sea otters and seals along the way and orcas and whales sometimes further out; sea fishing and a cooked catch is the standard format. Behind it all the Avachinsky and Koryaksky cones stand over the town.

What you actually see

• The Three Brothers - three rock stacks at the bay entrance, the city's emblem.
• The harbour - a drowned volcanic basin among the largest natural harbours anywhere.
• Starichkov island - a seabird reserve with puffins, guillemots and cormorants.
• The volcano backdrop - Avachinsky and Koryaksky above the water.

When to go

June to September for boat trips. A day. Fog and swell cancel sailings, and the bay can be rough beyond the entrance.

Honest expectations

Sailings are cancelled by weather regularly. Beyond the heads the Pacific swell makes for a rough boat and seasickness is common. Whale and orca sightings are luck, not a schedule. Petropavlovsk itself is a working port city, not a pretty one.

Nearby

Khalaktyrsky beach is east; Vilyuchinsky and Mutnovsky are south.