Dotovaya Bay

Dotovaya Bay is the largest bay on Shkot Island in the Gulf of Peter the Great, Primorsky Krai. The island belongs to the Empress Eugenie archipelago and lies about five hundred meters south of Russky Island, roughly 20 km from central Vladivostok. Shkot Island is uninhabited, and the only way to reach it is on foot across a sand spit from Russky Island.

History

The island is named after Lieutenant Commander N. Ya. Shkot, who served on the steam corvette Amerika. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the island became part of the coastal defenses of Vladivostok Fortress: battery No. 904 was built on its summit, and the ruins of a nearby artillery garrison compound survive next to it. On the southern shore, above a cliff, stands another fortress battery — later, in Soviet times, an anti-aircraft battery was installed on the same site. Permanent firing points are scattered around the island's perimeter, and near the lighthouse the structures of battery No. 981 have survived.

What is there now

Today Shkot Island is covered with dense broadleaf forest and looks like a wild, untouched place. A half-overgrown road runs across it from the spit to Cape Mayachny. Visitors can see the ruins of early 20th-century and Soviet-era military fortifications. Close to the shore there once stood a notable sea stack called Palets (also known as Baklaniy Stolbik) — a tower-shaped rock that was destroyed by Typhoon Maysak in September 2020.

How to get there

The route to the bay starts on Russky Island: take the upper left road across the island through Fort No. 10, then turn left toward the military unit and descend to the sea. From there, cross the sand spit onto Shkot Island. On the island itself, follow the path, and at the first fork turn right to reach Dotovaya Bay. The total length of the route to the bay is about 4.4 km, covered entirely on foot.