Antarctica Antarctic Peninsula Wildlife & Marine Life Photography voyage expedition cruise penguin leopard seal dive- Aqua-Firma

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Antarctic Wildlife, Marine Life and Photography Expedition

The Antarctic Peninsula presents an unrivalled opportunity to both observe and capture images of one of the planet’s most wild and dramatic landscapes. From the continents towering mountains pour ancient white glaciers and magnificent carved icebergs. On the fringes of this land await an enormous abundance and diversity of species: penguins, seals, and birdlife.

The icy oceans are a rich feeding ground for whales including orcas, humpbacks, blue and sperm whales. The peninsula is also a breeding ground for macaroni, chinstrap and gentoo penguin colonies, inviting great opportunities for their close observation. The expedition is timed to take advantage of greater sightings of leopard seals -one of Antarctica 's top predators. Leopard seals and their presence both above and below the water have proven a particular highlight of previous trips. Indeed it is an exhilarating experience to observe these animals at close quarters.

As well as the first hand advice provided by Aqua-Firma's UK polar specialists, on location our voyages will be led by an expert team which will include photographers, naturalists and pioneers in polar environments. 2009 leaders included:

Göran Ehlme, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 and polar cameraman for the Blue Planet. (19th-28th Feb)
Jamie Watts, Former British Antarctic Survey Marine Scientist. Published author, most recently in BBC Wildlife magazine and Ocean Geographic magazine. (10th-21st March)
Matthieu Meur, the co-author for the Essential Digital Guide to Underwater Photography and the Advanced Guide to Digital Underwater Photography (10th-21st March)

The onboard programme includes evening lectures on the wildlife and marine life of the continent as well as the work of the onboard professionals. Workshops on photography are also available to help you get the best from your camera and hone and improve your photographic skills. Throughout the voyage there will be plenty of opportunity to talk with our leaders and of course fellow like-minded passengers who are passionate about natural history and exploration of wilderness areas.

You will be accompanied on this voyage by underwater photographers and divers who will bring with them great benefits, opening up the secrets of the Antarctic depths. With their own dedicated guides and zodiacs, they will focus on some of the best dive sites around the Peninsula, leaving a much smaller number of top side explorers to roam the land without the crowds. Twice each day our expedition leaders and guides will accompany some of the small personalised groups possible in exploring, historical sites, research stations, penguin colonies and visiting remote locations simply breath-taking in their natural beauty.

In the evenings images captured by the divers will enable a greater insight into the icy ecosystem with the ability to share aspects which would otherwise remain unseen; a leopard seal hunting a penguin, the dramatic beauty of a submerged iceberg and the weird and wonderful life hidden within the Antarctic depths. Giant isopods (10cm) crawling the seabed like enormous woodlice, 34 armed star-fish in stunning colours hiding amongst kelp walls, and shy Antarctic fish filled with their own special anti-freeze survive in these waters. New species are being discovered in Antarctica all the time.

Our ship is a modern and comfortable ice strengthened research vessels. Carrying a maximum of around 45 passengers, it is by far one of the smallest and friendliest expedition cruise ships exploring the Antarctic waters. The entire vessel is open to all, including the decks at all levels particularly the ship’s bridge from which you can enjoy awe inspiring panoramic views.

Photographs kindly provided by Charlotte Caffrey, Chloe Burnett, Göran Ehlme, Franco Banfi, Rolf Stange, Jurgen Schmitt, Rinnie Van Meres, Per Y. Lidvall & Keith Hiscock

Antarctica - Antarctic - Peninsular - Ice-strengthened - Polar - Voyage- Wilderness & Wildlife - Holiday - Carbon Climate Neutral - Responsible Travel - Penguin - Leopard- Seal - Albatross - Birdwatching - Diving - Photography

Draft Itinerary for 11 Day Version

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.

Day 1
The ship leaves the picturesque city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Ushuaia is the world's southernmost city located in the Beagle Channel.

Days 2 & 3
We sail across the Drake Passage. Once we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in an area known as the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. In this area we can hope to see Wandering Albatrosses, Grey Headed Albatrosses, Black-browed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Cape Pigeons, Southern Fulmars, Wilson's Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels. We will make our first sightings of icebergs close to the South Shetland Islands.

Day 4
At Deception Island, we try to land at Baily Head where we should encounter a colony of ten thousand or so Chinstrap Penguins. Deception Island is a huge volcano with its crater open to 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.

Day 5
We sail to Orne Islands with its large colonies of Chinstrap Penguins and beautiful views across the Gerlache Strait. Later we continue 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. From there we sail through Paradise Bay with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, providing opportunities to see large whales. We will have opportunities for zodiac cruising between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords.

Day 6
We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags. We also try to land at Pleneau Island which is home to Elephant Seals. In this area there are good chances to encounter Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales.

Day 7
Sailing north through the Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait we can enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Charlotte Bay. There are usually good opportunities here for zodiac cruising amongst icebergs where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and Minke Whales.

Day 8
Half Moon Island is a beautiful volcanic island with Chinstrap Penguins, Gentoo Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, sheathbills and Brown Skuas. Weddell Seals and Elephant Seals may also be spotted. The crew of the Argentine station are very hospitable. We may also choose to land at Hannah Point, which has a very rich wildlife featuring Elephant Seals, Cape Pigeons, Southern Giant Petrels, Macaroni Penguins and Gentoo Penguins.

Day 9 & 10
In the Drake Passage where we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds.

Day 11
We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark

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