Last winter you may have visited the tropics, which was where you developed a passion for diving. However, maybe you are looking to do something a little different this winter season. Have you ever considered diving in Antarctica? Okay, so technically when it is winter it in the Northern Hemisphere it is summer down in Antarctica.  However, Antarctica as a winter destination still fits with the theme of this newsletter considering it is covered in snow (well, ice to be exact.)

As I previously mentioned, here at Tafari we like to push the limits with our travel suggestions. Hence why we are thrilled to introduce to you an opportunity to dive in the land of the penguins, Humpback, Minke, Orca Whales, and leopard seals. Few have be there before but it is possible to dive in the polar south with Arctic Kingdom Expeditions.

The purpose of dive expeditions to Antarctica is to explore Antarctica’s underwater environment, a truly unique experience for the advanced diver. You will see amazing ice formations, and marine life seemingly from another planet, including salps and giant isopods. Sunlight from above creates a stunning, ever-changing spectrum of color among the diverse benthos. Take your time to explore an environment few divers have ever experienced: the kelp walls, sea snails, crabs, sea butterflies, shrubby horsetails, jellyfish, squid, sea hedgehogs, starfish, krill and various fish beneath the Arctic Ice.

The waters of the Southern Ocean are tremendously significant to the world’s ecosystem, affecting ocean conditions throughout the planet, and supporting an economically important world fishery of finfish, squid, and krill.

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Antarctica Diving Itinerary

Day 1 - Embarkation in Ushuaia, Argentina.

Days 2-3 - At sea crossing the Drake Passage

Days 4-8 – 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 easy accessible site in order to get accustomed to the cold water and adjust your weights. Our dive guides will be with you in the water to assist you with your equipment. Diving in Antarctica, as with the Arctic, is serious stuff, and safety is our first priority. Being comfortable in the water with your equipment is essential.

Deception Island is a huge volcano. Its 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.

On our way further south we will sail to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island that contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins. We may visit Port Lockroy, which was a major haven for whalers until 1930. It became a British Research Base on meteorology in 1943, and is now restored as an historic hut. Evidence of the port’s past can be found in the surrounding waters, where we can see lots of whalebones scattered along the sea floor.

In Neko Harbour, we will have the opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent, among a magnificent landscape of huge glaciers. When sailing to Paradise Bay, with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, we may do a Zodiac cruise and dive between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. Once at Paradise Bay, we will visit Vernadsky, one of the scientific stations in Antarctica, which will give you an insight into the life of modern Antarcticans working on the White Continent. The diving around the station is known to be among the best in the area, including kelp walls and lots of marine life such as sponges, anemones, sea stars and isopods. Sailing north through Neumayer Channel, we arrive at the Melchoir Islands, a fantastic haven full of stunning vistas, where we will have good chance of seeing Humpback and Minke Whales.

Days 9-10 – At sea crossing of the Drake Passage.

Day 11 - Disembarkation in Ushuaia

To learn more about diving in Antarctica or to inquire about other Arctic adventures, please contact Leah@TafariTravel.com