In early 2026, we achieved something remarkable: a new farthest-south record in the Weddell Sea, reaching 78°03.471’ South during our groundbreaking Remote Weddell Sea voyage. We sat down with Expedition Leader Chris Long to discover what makes this itinerary so special, and the Oceanwide approach to exploration so unique.
The makings of an Expedition Leader - Chris Long
For New Zealander Chris Long, exploration is not just a job - it’s a way of life that began long before he first set foot in Antarctica, leading guests to some of the most remote and untouched locations on Earth.
Raised on the West Coast of New Zealand, with the closest neighbors over 100 kilometers away and a trip to town requiring a two-day hike through rugged bush, Chris grew up in a family that lived completely off-grid. Daily life revolved around self-sufficiency: fishing, growing food from the land, and enjoying life in one of the most special places on the planet.
Photo: Chris Long's private archive
“We were the most remote family in New Zealand,” Chris recalls. “We lived out there completely self-sufficiently.” Chris's parents still live at Gorge River, and a couple of days after we sat down to talk, he was heading out into the bush for a visit back home, pioneering his way across some of New Zealand's toughest terrain.
This unique upbringing has, in part, shaped the mindset he brings to expedition travel today. Drawn to remote environments, curiosity about the unknown, and a willingness to step outside the ordinary are all qualities that translate naturally to Antarctic exploration and what's required of an Expedition Leader. “I grew up outside the normal box,” he explains. “I’ve spent most of my life doing things that people think are impossible, but they really aren't - you just need to pick your moments, plan well, and have the right mindset!”
This spirit defines our expedition philosophy. While many polar voyages focus heavily on luxury amenities, we instead prioritize authentic exploration, allowing guests to experience Antarctica as active participants rather than passive observers.
Authenticity at Our Core - Offering Something Genuine
“With our expedition experience, we're really offering something real. It's not obscured in a luxury product, or enhanced with unnecessary add-ons,” Chris says. “We're offering genuine, authentic adventure, where guests can really feel that excitement within us all.” The key to success is flexibility, experience, ability, and teamwork. Using satellite imagery, charts, and careful navigation, our expedition teams and vessel crews identify potential landing sites, plan for weather and ice conditions, and fulfill itineraries in real time, reacting on the fly to wildlife opportunities, weather windows, and the power of nature.
Photo: Chris Long during an onboard lecture
A great example of this approach also came this Antarctic season, when Chris led a voyage to several uncharted islands in the far south of the Antarctic Peninsula. “There’s no map telling you where those places are,” Chris explains. “We were comparing satellite images, charts, and whatever data we could find, trying to identify where we might be able to land or hike.”
The result was a voyage that felt closer to the age of discovery than modern tourism, with guides and guests genuinely adding to the history of polar exploration by properly charting and exploring the mysterious Glinka Islands. “Exploration is about going somewhere new. If it’s new for the guests and new for us as well, that’s when it becomes truly exciting.”
The Remote Weddell Sea: An Experience in a League of Its Own
If the Uncharted Islands voyage represents the exploratory spirit of Oceanwide, the Remote Weddell Sea voyage takes it to an entirely different level. Unlike traditional Antarctic Peninsula cruises, which operate within relatively well-traveled waters, this expedition ventures deep into the eastern Weddell Sea, far beyond the routes of conventional expedition ships. On this 27-night epic, guests ventured as far south as it is possible to go in one of the least-visited locations on Earth.
Last season, Chris was part of the expedition team. This year, he led the expedition, building on the immense success of 2025.
Photo: Remote Weddell Sea Explorer trip | 2025 | by Sara Jenner
“We’re about nine days farther south than where most expedition ships ever go,” Chris explains. “We’re in a league of our own going down there. For example, the last real passenger vessel to explore that region was in 2004, before we did last season. This year, we went even further. It's really something incredibly unique, and not offered by any other operator.”
This extreme remoteness is part of what makes the voyage so compelling. Distant locations such as Vahsel Bay, Queen Maud Land, the Weddell Sea pack ice, and seldom-visited ice shelves formed part of the route, with guests exploring by helicopter, on foot, by Zodiac, and aboard our ice-strengthened vessel, m/v Ortelius. The expedition covers roughly 6,000 nautical miles, from the sub-Antarctic shores of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands to the far eastern reaches of the Weddell Sea and parts of the Antarctic Peninsula around Antarctic Sound.
Photo: Vahsel-Filchner | 2026 | by Werner Kruse
This itinerary might also be one of the most reliable ways to encounter emperor penguins, the largest and most iconic penguin species on Earth.
“Of all the voyages I know that go to Antarctica, this one probably gives you the best chance of seeing emperor penguins,” Chris says. “With my Expedition Leader hat on, I’d almost stand up and say, I can almost guarantee you'll see emperors on this trip.”
The reason lies in the region's geography. The Remote Weddell Sea itinerary travels through areas home to several emperor penguin colonies. Even when colonies have dispersed after the breeding season, emperor penguins are often spotted resting on drifting sea ice nearby. “All you need is a piece of ice floating where the colony was a couple of months earlier,” Chris explains. “There’s a good chance you’ll find emperor penguins standing on it.”
Photo: Emperor penguins on ice | Remote Weddell Sea Explorer trip | 2026 | by Jess Owen
Of course, expedition travel always carries an element of unpredictability, which we embrace rather than avoid. Weather, sea ice, and wildlife movements constantly shape the journey, whether it's as extreme as our Remote Weddell Sea voyage, or shorter Peninsula trips and itineraries in the Arctic.
Being so dynamic is what makes these voyages so rewarding. “You need people who are there for the journey,” Chris says. “With the Remote Weddell Sea as an example - it’s a long voyage, but when you get somewhere that nobody’s been for ten years, or perhaps never before, and you’re the ones looking at it, it’s just incredible. But, a real part of the adventure comes with the journey to get there - each second spent somewhere like Antarctica is just so special.”
Authenticity Through Immersive Activities: Antarctic Long Hikes
For guests who want to truly explore Antarctica but may not be able to commit to the 27-night Remote Weddell Sea voyage, we offer a unique long hiking activity in Antarctica, something rarely offered by other operators. These are not short shoreline strolls. Instead, they are ambitious explorations across rarely visited terrain, sometimes in areas where no expedition groups have walked before. In Antarctica, these hikes seek to emulate our industry-leading long hikes activity in Greenland, where the open tundra of Scoresby Sund acts as the ideal setting to venture far from the ship.
Photo: Long hikes in Antarctica | 2026 | Andy Perkins
On recent voyages to James Ross Island and Marguerite Bay, snow-free regions proved ideal for extended hikes. “We found areas where the terrain allowed simply amazing long hikes,” Chris says. “They were as epic as anything we’ve done in Greenland.” While the terrain is rugged and unforgiving, this is a genuine opportunity to explore where few, if any, researchers and explorers, let alone polar travelers, have ever ventured, and guests quickly embraced the challenge.
“By day five, people were coming up asking, ‘When can we hike further?’” Chris laughs. “We had a group that just wanted to keep going; we couldn’t wear them out. And to me, that's what it's all about.”
These kinds of immersive experiences, stepping ashore in remote locations and physically exploring the landscape, are a defining element of our voyages. Beyond long hikes, we offer dynamic activities ranging from kayaking and polar diving to snorkeling, camping, mountaineering, and shorter hikes.
Alone at the Edge of Antarctica
The highlight of this year’s expedition came when the ship successfully reached the remote Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf region near Vahsel Bay, setting the new farthest-south record for a non-icebreaker in the Weddell Sea. Along the way, guests set foot on the Antarctic continent in Queen Maud Land, landed on ice-shelves thanks to the helicopter capabilities of m/v Ortelius, and encountered species ranging from orcas and blue whales to Ross seals, emperor penguins, and more seabirds than could be counted.
“When you say yes to leading a voyage this remote, the responsibility hits harder,” Chris explains. “We were days away from the nearest ship, let alone a port! When we finally reached Vahsel Bay with blue skies and sunshine, it was a huge relief - that sense of success is just extraordinary.”
Antarctica is often described as the last great wilderness on Earth. In the remote reaches of the Weddell Sea, that description becomes strikingly real. “There’s nowhere else on Earth that throws so many challenges at you,” Chris says. “That raw, untouched environment is what makes it so special. As an expedition team, we really have to be at the top of our game, whether that's through making sure guests have varied and interesting lectures for sea days, can respond quickly to wildlife or opportunities to get off the ship, and just operating in such an unpredictable, rugged, and remote landscape.”
Photo: Remote Weddell Sea Explorer trip | 2026 | Photo by Jess Owen
Chasing Ultimate Adventure in the Weddell Sea
The Remote Weddell Sea expedition is not designed as a conventional Antarctic cruise. It’s a journey for travelers who want to experience exploration in its truest form. Guests range from seasoned polar travelers who have visited every major Antarctic destination to first-time visitors eager for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Some come for the wildlife - others for the sheer remoteness of the journey. Some simply want to be part of something extraordinary.
“If someone wants to do one voyage and see everything, from emperor penguins to incredible landscapes, this is the one voyage they should pick,” Chris says. "It's also a must-do for those who really want to explore, and get a sense of what it must have been like for early Antarctic explorers."
“We explore on all of our voyages - that really defines everything we do,” Chris reflects. “But this is the one where we really take it a step further - it's just adventure on a whole different level.”
In the vast, icy silence of the remote Weddell Sea, the spirit of exploration is alive and well, and it's just waiting for you to embrace it. Our Remote Weddell Sea itinerary is returning in 2027 - book your place on the adventure of a lifetime, and get ready for something truly extraordinary in the wild, spectacular south.