Category: Stories & Inspiration

For many people, Antarctica is the ultimate travel destination, with stepping foot on the White Continent the culmination of a life-long dream. But for others, that first step is just one in a long series of marches that can take you all the way to the South Pole and beyond. Preet Chandi MBE – or […]

Antarctica is home to some of the most charismatic wildlife on Earth. Penguins by the thousand, humpback whales and orcas – these are the animals that compel people to travel all the way to the end of the Earth to see. But what about the life that’s normally hidden from view? At Swoop, we always […]

We are scientists who have dedicated our careers to studying life in the most inhospitable regions of the world. Our mission is to understand how warming temperatures, melting ice, and a changing environment influence microscopic life living in Antarctica’s oceans. We spend countless hours in our temperature-controlled labs – yet deep down, we know that […]

Antarctica is a place shrouded in tales of epic exploration and adventure. In recent years, the vogue has been for Ernest Shackleton and the destruction of his ship Endurance in the pack ice – a disaster redeemed by the astonishing rescue of his men after the voyage of the tiny James Caird from Elephant Island […]

As Antarctic travel specialists, we know just how much people love penguins. Who doesn’t? They’re animals so ridiculously charismatic that they could have been designed in a laboratory for marketing purposes alone. These scene stealers sometimes leave little room for some of Antarctica’s other wildlife, including its seals – no matter how picturesque they can […]

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 […]

At Swoop, we spend a lot of time talking about Antarctica’s wildlife, from many species of penguins to seals and amazing whale watching. These are the big charismatic animals that draw expedition cruise travellers to the end of the Earth. But there is one species that’s rarely on people’s draw cards, arguably the most important […]

Ever since Captain James Cook made the first recorded crossing of the Antarctic Circle, brave explorers, sailors and scientists have sailed to Antarctica, in search of its wildlife and scientific secrets. Today’s Antarctic expedition cruise industry follows in its wake, with growing numbers of tourists making the voyage to explore the Antarctic Peninsula, albeit in […]