Moiseev Island

Moiseev Island is a small, uninhabited, horseshoe-shaped island in Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan, off the southern coast of Primorsky Krai, within the Vladivostok city district. Peter the Great Bay is the largest bay on the Sea of Japan, and dozens of large and small islands are scattered along its southern shore; Moiseev Island is one of them, part of the Empress Eugenie Archipelago. It lies about 2.4 km southwest of Rikord Island and roughly 37 km from Vladivostok. The island is covered with wooded slopes, and its shores range from gentle pebble beaches to rocky capes — a typical picture for the southern group of islands in the bay.

History and name

The island's shores were first surveyed by a hydrographic expedition led by V. M. Babkin in 1862–1863. A more detailed survey followed in 1865–1866, carried out by M. A. Klykov, who gave the island its name — in honor of S. A. Moiseev. These surveys were among the first detailed hydrographic studies of the Peter the Great Bay coastline.

Nature

The island is covered with broadleaf forest interspersed with small grassy meadows. A pebble beach lies on the northern shore, while the southern part of the island holds a wide bay with a beach of boulders and pebbles. In this bay there is a known freshwater spring that dries up seasonally and fills during the rainy season. The southern coast differs noticeably from the northern one: here stands a free-standing rock outcrop about 18 meters high, known as the "stone finger." Sea stacks and submerged rocks can be seen at the water's edge, making the coastline picturesque but requiring caution when approaching by boat.

Getting there

Moiseev Island lies in the open waters of Peter the Great Bay and can only be reached by water — by motorboat, private boat or yacht departing from Vladivostok's piers. The distance by sea is about 37 km. The nearest landmark on the way to the island is Rikord Island, located a few kilometers northeast of Moiseev Island.