Tag: interview

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 […]

Grytviken in South Georgia is one of the most visited places on the island. As well as being the final resting place of the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, the old whaling station is home to the best museum in the Southern Ocean, which is run by the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) on behalf […]

If there is one thing you can guarantee when you’re planning a trip to Antarctica, it’s that you’re going to take a lot of photos of penguins. Why would you not? For many people, seeing these endlessly charismatic little birds are a highlight of an expedition cruise to the White Continent.  But what if your […]

The Subantarctic island of South Georgia is a marvel of the natural world. It’s a hundred mile long mountain range that erupts out of the Southern Ocean, with more marine wildlife than anywhere else on the planet. Penguins and fur seals here are counted by the million. It’s a scene that’s all the more extraordinary […]

Two and a half years ago, the world marvelled at the news of the discovery of the wreck of the Endurance, the ship that was centre stage for the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s greatest Antarctic triumph and tragedy. Organised and funded by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, the Endurance22 expedition found the ship more than […]

If you were looking down from space, it would appear that every winter the Antarctic continent more than doubles in size. That’s because the ocean around it freezes over creating a vast curtain of sea ice. It’s one of the planet’s most extraordinary seasonal cycles and it plays an important but little understood role in […]

Antarctica is often closer than you think. From the fish in your supermarket to the supplements in your health food store, traces of its most important animal are everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Krill, the tiny crustacean at the centre of the Antarctic food web eaten by everything from gentoo penguins to whales, is being […]

When it comes to Antarctic wildlife, penguins, seals and whales grab all the attention but there is one species that visitors are unlikely to see but without whom the entire ecosystem would be vastly different. To celebrate World Krill Day on August 11 we spoke to krill biologist Dr Kim Bernard, who is currently over-wintering […]