Highlights from our 22/23 Antarctic Season

Nothing feels quite as good as a comeback, does it? With our 22/23 season now wrapped, let’s take a look back at some of this year’s incredible highlights.

First of all, we want to say a huge thank you to all of our hard-working staff and crew. Our team worked diligently and nimbly to maximize excursions and landings amidst challenging weather and conditions – all with smiles on their faces. These incredible people make the magic happen and it wouldn’t be a true PL experience without them. Like our guests, our team (no matter how many times they have been to Antarctica) were thrilled to be traveling to the White Continent this season.

Take a look at some of the top experiences of the season:

• Emperor Penguin sightings! On several occasions there were rare sightings of this huge penguin. Spotted sitting on an iceberg on Christmas Day, the penguin looked mammoth next to a small Chinstrap penguin. In another instance, an Emperor was seen attempting to jump onto the marina deck of the ship and – for the first time on record – joining polar plunge swimmers in the water!
• Guests were thrilled when a Chinstrap Penguin jumped into their Zodiac. You can see the video on our new TikTok profile.
• We had the pleasure of hosting a 100-year-old guest who participated in every single landing
• An early season voyage saw a huge group of approximately 20 Humpback Whales feeding
• At the beginning of the season there was so much snow at the Penguin Post Office in Port Lockroy that the Gentoo Penguins were on the roof.
• We hosted a delegation from the Students on Ice Foundation, who traveled to Antarctica to look at a variety of issues including ocean conservation, biodiversity, climate change, bi-polar science connections, and more
• We identified and named 2 new whales for Happy Whale through our Citizen Science program onboard, one of which was the 4000th identified whale in Antarctica
• There were several voyages through the stunning Lemaire Channel at sunset, providing sensational views and images
• A record number of guests and staff did the polar plunge – complete with epic jumps
• A visit to Whaler’s Bay on one voyage proved excellent with wildlife sightings including a Leopard Seal, Chinstrap Penguins, Elephant Seals and even a Fin Whale
• A late season sighting of a curious Minke Whale left staff and guests stunned as it approached the ship and zodiacs, played in the water for almost 30 minutes, even getting close enough to spray a few onlookers.
• Irish ice skater, national champion and global competitor Clara Peters brought her skates to Antarctica to ‘skate’ on the Peninsula
• Shackleton enthusiasts completed his famous hike that retraced the Explorer’s footsteps across a mountain pass on South Georgia
• On the ‘Shackleton’s Final Quest’ voyage, there was an exciting visit from Mensun Bound (the Director of Exploration of the team who discovered the Endurance last year) and The Governor of the Falklands Alison Blake
• A very special day in Grytviken paying respects to Shackleton with special guests including Shackleton’s grandson, esteemed experts, and polar enthusiasts.
• Several ‘blonde’ Fur Seals were spotted at Elsehul
• Our Expedition Leader had to stop his onboard recap so everyone could experience a pod of Orca that decided to hang out with the ship for almost a half an hour. ‘The best Orca sighting I’ve seen in 5 years’, EL Danny said
• On a sunny, calm day while the guests were all involved in a special programming experience, some of our crew were able to experience a rare kayaking outing, thanks to staff recognizing the opportunity and making it happen for these hard-working people
• A photography-focused voyage saw our ship loaded with photographers, featuring SEVEN famed photographers including Brendan van Son