WELCOME

ANTARCTICA IN AN UNTHINKABLE SEASON

We were told that it was impossible. That we shouldn´t do it. Too much was at risk. We should reconsider, they said. But we decided to push forward. 

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It wasn't easy and there were many times when we thought it wouldn't happen. But we pulled every resource available to overcome the challenges that constantly came up. We had to be very flexible and adapt to different scenarios, looking for options as some doors were slammed in our faces.

ANTARCTIC SCIENCE IN THE PANDEMIC

Away from Antarctica, the ice always tugs on our heartstrings, but never more than when fate throws obstacles in our way such as a global pandemic. For the Penguin Watch team, we had the added stress of knowing that we would miss data and our camera network would start to fail before we could get back next year.

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But fundamentally, disruptions such as this present an incredible opportunity; a  natural experiment that has removed the presence of tourism for a season... 

FIRST NON-SCIENTIFIC VISIT TO TO THE BLOOD FALLS

I am beyond excited to tell you that Spirit of Sydney Expeditions, in conjunction with Oceanwide, made the first non-scientific visit to the Blood Falls in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica on the 30th of January 2020. This happened during the Ross Sea Voyage!

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The lucky three who got to experience a flight over this spectacular and iconic place were: helicopter pilot Felipe Andres Henriquez Meza from Chile; passenger and glaciologist Heidi Sevestre from France; and myself