Antarctica Cruises: A Must for Photographers

Antarctica is an ideal destination for the most adventurous and curious traveller. Those who venture there follow in the past of the great explorers of the past, and the experience that awaits remains undiminished today.

You will not find power lines, billboards or highways in Antarctica. When the engines of your ship are turned off, the only sounds you hear are natural-wildlife, water and the occasional boom of iceburgs calving.

The continent abounds with exotic wildlife, much of it found nowhere else on earth. Birds, including large penguin rookeries, rub shoulders with seal colonies, while orcas and whales can sometimes be seen plying the ivy waters offshore.  Famous for it’s enormous icebergs, towering glaciers and shimmering austral summer light, Antarctica bestows on the travellers some of the most awe inspiring and dramatic landscapes the planet has to offer.  Depending on your chosen itinerary, your Antarctica cruises visit a combination of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, known for their wealth of penguin, seal and whale species.  South Georgia Island, made famous by the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and a breeding ground for enormous albatross and king penguin, and the Falkland Islands with their pictureqsue scenery, quaint capital and prolific birdlife and mammals. Endelss opportunities for amazing photographs.

Precautions While In Antarctica

Landings & Wildlife


Here are a few guidelines that you will be asked to follow. More detailed instructions (IAATO [International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators] Recommendation XVIII-1 Visitors Guideline) will be provided in your final documents.
 
 

 

  • Listen and obey Expedition Team instructions.
  • Keep track of time. Do not delay others – return to the landing site prior to the appointed time of departure.
  • Never wander off alone or out of sight of the Team positioned ashore.
  • Maintain visual contact with Team members.
  • Do not walk onto glaciers – there may be hidden crevasses.
  • No smoking ashore.
  • No littering, souvenir collecting, or urinating ashore.
  • Avoid taking items ashore that could become accidental litter: film boxes, tissues, etc.
  • Anything that you carry to a landing should be returned to the ship.

    Safe Behavior Near Wildlife
    Do not touch animals.
    Keep a minimum distance of 5 meters (15 feet) from all animals – especially nesting birds.

    If an animal’s behavior changes – you are too close. Although the animal may not show obvious fear, they could still be distressed. Remember, if bird leaves its nest, the eggs or chicks are at risk.

    Fur seals are usual dangerous, therefore keep a greater distance than 5 meters from them at all times.

    Always give wildlife the right of way.

    Avoid coming between an animal and the shore or ocean.

    Be Aware of Your Surroundings
    Move slowly and always check behind you.
    Birds flying or calling overhead signifies you are too close to a nest or young chicks. Retrace your steps the way you came.
    Do not make sudden movements.

    Keep quiet – do not make loud or sudden noises.

    Keep low if possible – you will appear less threatening to animals and it will also yield better photographs for you.

    Do not try to make an animal react for a photograph.

    Patience yields the best rewards.

    Standing still for long periods of time can be of great benefit when viewing wildlife.

    Protecting Fragile Vegetation
    Avoid walking on moss beds, lichens, or grasses. They are very delicate and slow growing.
    Always wash your boots on the ship before and after each landing.

    Leave nothing but foot prints.

     

    BASIC PRINCIPLE

    Do not disturb wildlife, historical remains on the landscape.
      

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    Information provided by Quark Expeditions.

     For more information about Antarctica please click here: http://www.escortedantarcticatours.com/

    Support Climate Change Research in Antarctica

    Antarctica is currently the fastest warming area on the planet, with temperatures & related ice-melt increasing at an even faster rate than had been predicted. The effects of global warming will have an impact on marine, animal & human life around the planet.

    Join a mission with luxury tour operator, Abercrombie and Kent aboard MV ‘Minerva’ with award-winning scientist Dr. James McClintock to an Antarctic research station, where they present equipment critical to the monitoring of Antarctic climate change. Along the way, travelers journey in Zodiacs and on land to explore the region’s coastline and wildlife.

    Book now, and you also save $1,000 per person on this voyage, as well as other 2009-10 Antarctica trips.