 Location of Aitcho Islands in the South Shetland Islands | |
  Okol Rocks Location of Okol Rocks  Okol Rocks Okol Rocks (Antarctic Peninsula) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 62°22′19″S 59°45′42″W / 62.37194°S 59.76167°W |
| Archipelago | South Shetland Islands |
| Administration | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Okol Rocks (Bulgarian: скали Окол, ‘Skali Okol’ ska-'li o-'kol) is a group of rocks in the north of Aitcho Islands group on the west side of English Strait in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.[1] The principal feature in the group is Lambert Island (62°22′16″S 59°45′49″W / 62.37111°S 59.76361°W).[2]
Passage Rock (62°22′19″S 59°45′42″W / 62.37194°S 59.76167°W) is lying 800 m (870 yd) east of Okol Rocks and 1.07 km (0.66 mi) west by south of Fort William, Robert Island, with Cheshire Rock (62°22′29.7″S 59°44′40.9″W / 62.374917°S 59.744694°W) lying 370 m (405 yd) south by east of Passage Rock, 1.09 km (0.68 mi) southwest of Fort William, 850 m (930 yd) northeast of Jorge Island and 900 m (980 yd) east-southeast of Okol Rocks.[3][4] The area was visited by early 19th century sealers operating from nearby Clothier Harbour.
Okol Rocks are named after the settlements of Gorni (Upper) Okol and Dolni (Lower) Okol in western Bulgaria. Lambert Island is named after Rear Admiral Nick Lambert, national hydrographer (2010–2012) and commanding officer of HMS Endurance (2005–2007). Passage Rock was charted by Discovery Investigations personnel in 1935 and later descriptively named for being a leading mark for ships entering English Strait. Cheshire Rock is named after Lieutenant Commander Peter Cheshire, leader of the Royal Navy Hydrographic Survey Unit in the area in 1967.