I received my opportunity to go to Antarctica via Quark Expeditions. Quark are polar cruise experts with cruise experience going back over a decade. I found them to be extremely professional and absolutely dedicated to enhancing the Antarctic experience for all the passengers. It helped that every one of the Quark team was as passionate and respectful about Antarctica as the passengers!

Although up to 10,000 tourists visit the Antarctic Peninsula every year, the cruise ships plan well in advance to ensure that rarely, if at all, will you see another ship. This creates the experience that you are one of the priveleged few to see Antarctica (which, lets face it, you are!). The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) have strict rules for visiting tourists which result in minimal impact on Antarctica. IAATO's rules maybe slightly stricter than those outlined in the Antarctic Treaty, but they are fair, and trust me, you don't miss out on anything!

For more pictures about the cruise, see below and the rest of the pages on this website. Most images can be viewed at a larger size by clicking on them.

Friendly Quark Staff (+ some miscellaneous folks...)
Beascochea Bay

(L-R) John Killingbeck (Historian), Sasha Lukin(Radio operator), Thomas Kerr (Naturalist), Hayley Shephard (Assistant Expedition Leader), Sally Gillies (Geologist), Kirsten Le Mar (Marine Biologist), stray Malaysian chap, Susan Adie (Expedition Leader), Brad Stahl (Naturalist)

Icebreaker!
Kapitan Dranitsyn in Penola Strait

My trips were onboard the the Kapitan Sorokin class, diesel electric ice-breaker Kapitan Dranitsyn, leased from the Murmansk Shipping Company, Russia. She measures 132.4m in length, 26.75m in breadth, and is 48.7m high. Her hull thickness is 45mm where ice is met and 25-35 mm elsewhere, with an ice knife mounted 26m aft of the prow. She usually runs on 3 engines, but when breaking ice, can power up another 3 engines and generate 16,000 horsepower of force to get through the ice. In 1992, the Kapitan Dranitsyn was converted to carry passengers, and two helicopters carried on the rear deck only serve to better enhance passenger's experience.

Alas, with the lease up on the Kapitan Dranitsyn,, Murmansk Shipping Company is taking her back to work in northern Russia. However, Quark have leased a new ice breaker for the upcoming polar seasons.

Greeting passengers on New Island
Falkland Island

The only mode of transport between the Kapitan Dranitsyn and shore (unless docked in Ushuaia) is by the sturdy zodiac crafts. All landings are deemed 'wet' and passengers are required to wear gumboots to step out of the rafts.

This picture was taken on a calm day on a sandy beach, but many landings are on rocky beaches, particularly in the Antarctic Peninsula. If the winds are too strong, Quark will not go out in the zodiacs, although every effort is made to wait for the winds to drop (which fortunately, most of then time, they did).

Continental landing on a 'typical' day
Neko Harbour

Often landings will be combined with zodiac cruises in scenic areas. The Kapitan Dranitsyn cannot come in close, so cruises where zodiacs get up close to creaking glaciers are common. Also, when in a zodiac, we can get quite close to seals and penguins on ice floes, or whales resting.