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Please note that all polar voyage itineraries are provided to give you a flavour of the voyage only. The ships route will be decided by the captain and may vary in accordance with ice, weather and other conditions.
Depending upon sea conditions it can take between 2- 3 days to reach the Antarctic Peninsula. The Drakes passage is an infamous stretch of the Southern Ocean and a rite of passage to the Great White Continent. An inspiring lecture programme will commence enroute and there are great opportunities to observe albatross and other sea birds, as well as whales including the long finned pilot whales & humpbacks.
A typical itinerary in the Antarctic Peninsula could be as follows:
We start our first day in Antarctica with a mandatory check-out dive at an easily accessible site to get accustomed to the cold water and adjust your weights. Our dive guides will be with you to assist with your equipment. Diving in Antarctica is to be taken seriously and safety is our first priority. Being comfortable in the water with your equipment is essential. Our non divers will have their zodiacs and guides available for plenty of wildlife spotting, feeling like they have the Peninsula to themselves.
We may make our first landing at Deception Island, a huge volcano of which the crater opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of cape pigeons and many Dominican gulls, brown and south polar skuas and Antarctic terns. Wilson’s storm petrels and black- bellied storm petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in whalers bay. Here everyone who has a swimming costume could have the opportunity for an Antarctic swim!
On our way further South we may sail to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island. It contains a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas, fur seals can often be spotted here. In Neko Harbour we may have the opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent in a magnificent landscape of huge glaciers.
When sailing to Paradise Bay with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, we will have the opportunity for zodiac cruising and diving between the dramatic icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. Leopard seals idly rest on the bergs in this area waiting for the chance to ambush a passing penguin- an underwater experience never to be forgotten. Here we will also have one of the most spectacular wall dives in the Antarctic: a wall which drops down to 75m and thanks to the guano of a nearby shag colony, the marine life is abundant.
We may sail through the Lemaire Channel, famous for its beautiful scenery, whales and great dive sites, to Pleneau and Petermann Island where we may find Adelie penguins and blue- eyed shags. We hope to visit some of the scientific stations in Antarctica which will give you an insight into the life of modern polar researchers living on the White Continent. The diving around some of the research stations is known to be among the best in the area: kelp walls and lots of marine life with sponges, anemones, sea-stars, giant isopods and possibly Antarctic cod.
Sailing north through Neumayer Channel we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful landscape and again possibilities for zodiac cruising among the icebergs, where we may encounter leopard seals, crabeater seals and whales. In this area we have good chances to see humpback whales and minke whales.
On our way back through the Drakes Passage we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds and to take advantage of the knowledge of our lecture team from wildlife to photographic hints and tips from the professionals.
On the morning of your departure you will disembark after a farewell breakfast. |
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