Author: Swoop Antarctica

Quick Answer: Best Time to Visit Antarctica The best time to visit Antarctica is between November and March, during the austral summer when expedition ships can access the continent. Each month offers slightly different experiences: Table of contents Antarctica’s white wilderness has an irresistible magnetism for adventurous souls the world over. Around 40,000 travellers make […]

Quick Answer: Best Month to Cross the Drake Passage The best months to cross the Drake Passage are November to March, during the Antarctic summer. However, no specific month guarantees calm seas, as weather conditions in the Drake Passage are highly unpredictable. Travellers may experience either the calm conditions of the ‘Drake Lake’ or the […]

The leopard seal is one species that always ranks highly on the wishlist to see for travellers to Antarctica, and an encounter with one on an ice floe is always memorable. In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about leopard seals, and seeing them on an Antarctic expedition cruise.  Introducing the leopard […]

Antarctica is the final frontier for scuba diving. There is nowhere you can go that’s so remote—and so cold—to get underwater. Until relatively recently, the only people who have been able to dive there were scientists, but now any divers with the appropriate cold water experience can travel south to experience it for themselves.  Diving […]

In Antarctica, ice is never just ice. It dominates the landscape, and for much of the year it dominates the sea too. The numbers alone never quite communicate its epic quality.Over 99% of Antarctica is covered in ice, much of it is more than a mile thick, and every polar winter the sea around it […]

The continent of Antarctica is roughly the same size as Australia, but it effectively doubles in size every winter as the surrounding seas freeze, extending Antarctica’s reach with an impenetrable skirt of ice. This can often give the impression that Antarctica is a largely featureless place – an idea that’s reinforced by the picture of […]

Science and Antarctic exploration have gone hand in hand since the first people began  visiting the continent in the early 19th century. Expeditions, like those of Captain Scott, undertook extensive scientific programmes alongside the headline-grabbing attempts to reach the South Pole. Since the Second World War, many countries have operated scientific research stations in the […]

Cruising in the wild landscapes of Antarctica is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Picture standing on the deck of your expedition vessel, or even from the balcony of your cabin, watching icebergs float by as your lungs fill with the crisp Antarctic air. It’s a truly invigorating and exhilarating experience.  But what if those Southern Ocean waters […]