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Polar Perfectionism: Interview with Captain Levakov

Turning our attention to the control room, we steal a few informative (and highly entertaining) moments with one of our most seasoned polar captains, Evgeny Levakov. A veteran of the colder side of nautical life, Captain Levakov has been piloting ships since 2002, leading everything from week-long Arctic cruises to expansive 33-day Antarctica voyages. And among the many things he’s learned in all those berg-bejeweled years is that polar captaining isn’t a gig for gamblers.

Humpback Whales: the Stars of the Western Antarctic Peninsula

The marine ecosystem of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) extends from the Bellingshausen Sea to the northern tip of the peninsula. The WAP includes the Antarctic Sea Ice Zone, a very productive system that supports large stocks of marine mammals, birds, and Antarctic krill. One of the stars of this region, which you can see on your whale-spotting Antarctica cruise, is the humpback.

A New Flag for a Veteran Vessel, Ortelius

Vlissingen, located in the south western part of the Netherlands, has been Oceanwide Expeditions “Homeport” since the company was established more than 20 years ago. When our vessel Plancius was being built, there was no hesitation which name should be mentioned as homeport for the vessel and thus since it’s delivery in 2009 Plancius is flying the Dutch flag and has Vlissingen on its stern as being its homeport.

How Arctic Wildlife Differs from Antarctic

While there are definite similarities between the north and south poles, at the same time, the two regions are vastly different. Though both are cold and dry, each pole is unique in its terrain and climate. While the Antarctic is harsh and inhospitable, home to only two native vascular species of plants, the Arctic tundra can support a wider range of fauna with its warmer temperatures and a greater diversity of plant life. Here are just some of the different animals that you can expect to see in the Arctic as opposed to the Antarctic.

Polar Marine Visitors: the Whales of Antarctica and the Arctic

Whales are the world’s largest mammals, found in the Arctic and Antarctica. This article covers some of the major species you may see on voyages to these remarkable areas.

The Ancient Fossil Forests of Antarctica

Over a hundred years ago, Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctica discovered fossils of plants on the Beardmore Glacier, less than 500 km (310 miles) from the South Pole. Edward Wilson, who was the expedition’s chief scientist, recorded the findings in his diary, stating that “most of the bigger leaves were like beech leaves in shape and venation.”

Retracing the Steps of Antarctica’s Early Explorers

For a long time in human history, there was a belief that a large continent must lie at the southern end of the Earth to provide balance to the known lands in the Northern Hemisphere. By the 15th century, many European maps had even placed a sizable landmass called Terra Australis in the far south, though the real continent was to remain undiscovered for quite some time.

The Research Stations of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic

Numerous research stations operate throughout the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, engaged in all manner of scientific inquiry. This article will cover the stations under the management of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which conducts year-round terrestrial and atmospheric research in some of the most compelling polar locations on Earth.

The Ways and Wildlife of the Weddell Sea

The Weddell Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica, at the very south of the Atlantic. Its geographical location is 75 degrees south and 47 degrees west, and it covers the Argentine, Chilean, and British territories of Antarctica. The harsh weather conditions and abundant pack ice have made the Weddell Sea difficult for people to access, but modern icebreaker ships have started to open up this area to explorers.

Visiting the Nearly Unknown: New Zealand’s Campbell Island

Campbell Island is located south of Bluff, New Zealand. It's best known for its flora and fauna. Read on to discover which wildlife you can find here.

The History of Antarctica in Maps

Long before human eyes ever beheld Antarctica, the ancients were convinced it existed – or at least something like it. Ptolemy, a Greco-Roman astronomer who lived around 100 – 170 CE, thought that an enormous far-southern landmass must exist in order to provide a planetary counterweight to the large continents of the north.

The Wildlife of Antarctica’s Seas and Skies

Antarctica is one of the most pristine environments on Earth, home to whales, penguins, seals, and birds, providing nature lovers with a treasure trove of wildlife memories to take back home.

Eight Ultimate Antarctica Adventures

Antarctica has adventure in its bones. Long before most travelers even reach the continent, they have to cross the Drake Passage, an oft-tumultuous waterway considered by many a hallmark of high adventure in itself. Once you do reach the Antarctic shores, the variations of landscape and wildlife are as multiform as the activities you can pursue there. While not all of these activities can or should be shoehorned into a single article, this piece will give you a survey of the top eight. Like everything in the polar regions, these activities are subject to weather conditions – and your own threshold for adventure.

The Secret Life of Glaciers: How They Form, Move, and Melt

One of the greatest natural sights you’ll ever see on an Arctic or Antarctic adventure is glaciers. These gigantic bodies of ice have been slowly but steadily creeping their way from the mountains to the oceans for countless years, like great rivers of ice – both a time capsule and indicator of our rapidly changing environment.

Orcas of the Polar Seas

The orca, or killer whale as it is also known, is the top marine predator and possibly the most widespread vertebrate on Earth. It is found in all the world’s oceans, including the Antarctic and Arctic regions.

Adélie Penguins: the Little People of the Antarctic

Described as “an object of endless pleasure and amusement” by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, survivor of Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole, the Adélie penguin stands with the regal and iconic emperor penguin as one of only two penguin species found on mainland Antarctica. Though their blue-black bodies, sooty orange beaks, white bellies and white-rimmed eyes cannot compare to the sleek, long beaks and yellow-trimmed necks of the aptly-named emperor penguin, Adélie penguins make up for the plainness of their ornamentation with a lively, playful nature, never failing to showcase their unique and charming personalities.

Imperial Antarctica: the Snow Hill Emperor Penguins

Oceanwide Expeditions recently achieved a rare feat, visiting Antarctica’s northernmost emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill Island. Typically surrounded by impassable pack ice, Snow Hill is a notoriously difficult destination in our Weddell Sea cruise itinerary, only accessible using the helicopters m/v Ortelius carries especially for this trip.

Antarctica Cities (and Five Other Things That Don’t Exist There)

Reading the title of this article, you might wonder why we’d bother writing a piece about all the things you won’t see while visiting Antarctica. But in our experience, polar tourists tend to venture to the far southern continent as much to see a new world as get away from the one they came from.

Science and Tourism: How Oceanwide Helps Study the Oceans

Since 2012, KNMI (Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut – Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) and Oceanwide Expeditions have cooperated in deploying temperature-recording devices, known as Argo floats, at far southern latitudes. Oceanwide’s Antarctica cruises offer a unique opportunity to reach these remote areas. Up to 35 floats have so far been deployed on these voyages, and eight more are on board Oceanwide’s m/v Plancius for this season.

Chosen by the Sea: Interview with Captain Ernesto Barria

Ortelius sits dry-docked in a cavernous basin of brick and steel, lost in scaffolding like a sidelong building undergoing renovation. Men in dark blue jumpsuits and bright blue hardhats, heavy gray gloves and greasy gray boots, stomp over the rattling mesh walkways carrying hoses and lit cigarettes and bulky pieces of nautical maintenance equipment, one of which resembles a pneumatic cattle gun that, in the wrong hands, could wreak some serious havoc. Recently arrived from the Arctic, Ortelius is receiving its seasonal upkeep here in Vlissingen, a small Dutch port town near the Belgian border.

Seven Facts About Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Penguins

There are 17 species of penguin on the planet today, but only eight penguin species can be seen in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands, where we travel: chinstraps, emperors, Adélies, gentoos, kings, Magellanics, rockhoppers, and macaronis.