Ocean Nova Ship Reviews

Reviews from Swoop customers who have travelled aboard the Ocean Nova over the last ten seasons.

Jeff  - USA Travelled: February 2023

9

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Choose one? We spent an incredible afternoon on the zodiacs following whales in the Gerlache Strait - what an incredible experience. We were fortunate enough to have several groups of whales in the area, with one whale breaching within 20 yards from our zodiac.

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Fiona  - Indonesia Travelled: January 2023

9

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Everything was amazing. The whales, seals and penguins are magnificent and cute at the same time. The lectures bring you new knowledge and understanding. The expedition teams are superb! And the service on board and at Punta Arenas also super nice.

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Kristen  - Canada Travelled: February 2026

10

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Kayaking in a bay of whales

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Timothy John  - UK Travelled: January 2026

10

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Very difficult to pick anything out, it was all memorable. Every aspect stands out, from the onboard food and amazing "hotel" staff, cabin comfort, the sheer quality of the onboard experts, and of course the incredible destination. Antarctica21 as the provider were absolutely first rate in all aspects.

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Mark  - USA Travelled: December 2025

10

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

There was not a most memorable moment. I have hiked, backpacked, and mountain climbed throughout my life and seen and experienced a lot. There are always fanatic experiences that are unimagined and unexpected prior to a trip. We did not know what to expect or anticipate on our own in Chile (Torres del Paine / Patagonia) or especially in Antarctica over the three weeks we were there, six of those days on the exploration vessel Ocean Nova. Especially in Antarctica there were surprises at every turn that resulted in fantastic experiences. As a geologist I think I liked the hiking the active volcano, hiking over the ice and snow fields up to higher elevations to get good overviews of the ice fields, glaciers, and mountainous terrain. Also the Zodiac trips that repeatedly resulted in close encounters with whales, boating among the floating ice and icebergs, and close up look at the geologic structures visible by Zodiac. Because there were not relatively many people on the vessel, we enjoyed the close comradery that we experienced. There was no one else on Antarctica that we saw in our little part of the continent besides Ocean Nova people which gave a feeling of the vastness and remotness of were we were which was a great and unequaled experience.

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Dekel  - Israel Travelled: February 2025

10

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Paddling with whales

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Nurit  - Israel Travelled: February 2025

10

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Orcas teaching their young to hunt a seal

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Simon  - Spain Travelled: January 2025

10

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Setting foot on Antarctica

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