[1] Several named rock formations are located offshore just west of Penguin Point.
The Melsom Rocks are 7 nautical miles (13 km) offshore.
[3] 2 nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the Despair Rocks is Lay-brother Rock, which is 7 nautical miles (13 km) northwest of the west end of Coronation Island.
[4] Penguin Point and its nearby rocks were primarily discovered in early December 1821 by Captain George Powell, a British sealer in the sloop Dove, and Captain Nathaniel Palmer, an American sealer in the sloop James Monroe.
Melsom, manager of the Thule Whaling Company, by Captain Petter Sorlle, who conducted a running survey of the South Orkney Islands in 1912–13.