Antarctica
TBD 2026
In Feb 2025, we have a very special trip for snorkelers and photographers who want to visit Antarctica and join our photographic workshop to help improve their skills and experience one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet. Join us on the MV Greg Mortimer in Antarctica for this adventure of a lifetime. We will be snorkeling in the ice, observing the wildlife up close and personal and learning how to take that perfect photo.
Antarctica is one of the last, great untamed continents on planet Earth. It is a definite bucket list experience. Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South Pole, is a virtually uninhabited, ice-covered landmass. You will cross the infamous Drake Passage and set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula, explore ice-dotted bays by zodiac and get up close with penguins, seals, seabirds and migrating blue and humpback whales. This expedition brings together those with a curiosity about the world around them, a keen sense of adventure, and a desire to immerse themselves in the natural environment. It truly is a trip not to be missed. A once in a lifetime opportunity!
Trip Details:
This is an exclusive small group trip onboard one of the best expedition ships in Antarctica. The comprehensive program will be full of polar activities and excursions to view the unique wildlife found in this part of the world. Enjoy lectures on photography and wildlife, while getting involved in some citizen science initiatives.
Snorkeling in Antarctica with seals, whales and penguins.
Exploring the landscape surrounded by icebergs and an abundance of wildlife.
See and hear the busting activity of a penguin city.
Chance to spot leopard seals on ice floes from the zodiacs.
Zodiac-cruise in search of feeding and breaching whales.
Take on the exhilarating polar plunge.
Photography workshops with international award winning wildlife photographer Scott Portelli.
Exclusions:
International and domestic flights to/from port.
Travel insurance or emergency evacuation charges.
Passport, visa, reciprocity and vaccination fees and charges
Hotels and meals not included in the main itinerary
All items of a personal nature, including but not limited to alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (outside of dinner service), laundry services, personal clothing, medical expenses, wi-fi, email or phone charges.
Dates:
February 6-14, 2025
Duration: 8 nights/ 9 days
Package Cost:
Triple Share Stateroom: $12, 495.00 USD p/person
Twin Share Stateroom: $13, 495.00 USD p/person
Balcony Stateroom C: $14,795.00 USD p/person
Balcony Stateroom B: $15,500.00 USD p/person
Balcony Stateroom A: $16,500.00 USD p/person
Balcony Superior: $17,500.00 USD p/person
Snorkeling Supplement: $695.00 p/person
Inclusions:
Beer, house wine and soft drinks with dinner.
All meals and snacks
Educational lectures and guiding services provided by Expedition Team.
Complimentary pre-departure information
All airport transfers mentioned in the itinerary
Port surcharges, permits and landing fees.
Gratuities for ship crew
One night’s hotel accommodation including breakfast, in Ushuaia on Day 1
Charter flight King George Island to Punta Arenas on Day 8
One night’s hotel accommodation including breakfast, in Punta Arenas on Day 8.
Step ashore in Antarctica, the last great wilderness.
Photography workshops with international award winning wildlife photographer Scott Portelli.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Ushuaia
Having made your way to Ushuaia, you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred to our group hotel. This evening, enjoy a light refreshment as you meet your fellow expeditioners at a Welcome Reception. Afterwards, dine at your leisure (dinner not included)
Day 2: Embarkation
This morning, please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Your luggage will be collected from your hotel and transferred directly to the port for clearance and delivered to your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day. Enjoy free time after check-out, meeting back in the hotel lobby at 2.00 pm to commence a short sightseeing tour of Ushuaia.
Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego is located at the shores of the Beagle Channel and surrounded by the Martial Mountains giving you a unique landscape in Argentina, which is the combination of mountains, sea, glaciers and forests. On this brief introductory tour, you will visit “La Mision” neighbourhood, the old Government House, and the upper area of the city, which offers beautiful panoramic views of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. During the excursion you will see the antique houses that belonged to the first families settled in Ushuaia. The excursion ends with a visit to the Old Prison Museum before transferring to the pier for embarkation at approximately 4.00 pm
Day 3: Drake Passage Crossing
As we commence the Drake Passage crossing, we make the most of our time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. Our expedition team prepare you for our first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start our lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment.
Our wildlife experiences begin as we enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following our vessel. On sea days, you may can enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, wellness centre or the relaxing in one of the observation lounges.
Day 4-7: Exploring Antarctica
We explore the Peninsula’s west coast, with the frenzied activities of penguin parents and chicks as the summer days begin to shorten. Cormorant chicks bravely making their first flights from sea cliffs. Zodiac cruise amongst ice floes replete with basking Weddell and leopard seals and revel in unparalleled beauty of Antarctica’s landscape.
It is almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.
Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.
Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.
We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You will want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.
While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you will have the option to do participate in the activity whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters – conditions permitting! The polar plunge can take place at any time during the voyage, so listen out for the announcement from the expedition team and get ready for the most exhilarating dip of your life!
Day 8: King George Island
We arrive at mountainous King George Island. If time and weather permit we explore penguin and seal-rich waters of Fildes Bay and visit the surprising Trinity Church at Bellingshausen Station, before catching our charter flight back to Punta Arenas in Chile, where we transfer to our overnight accommodation.
Day 9: Punta Arenas
After breakfast bid farewell to fellow expeditioners before continuing on with your own arrangements. Additional Information: On arrival in Punta Arenas a transfer is included to Aurora Expeditions preferred hotel. It is advised that you overnight in Punta Arenas, but not mandatory. Onward flights from Punta Arenas should not be booked until after 1700 hours. Expedition itinerary will change dependent on departure and arrival points.
How to Secure Your Booking
Please note that this trip has limited spots, so you will need to get in quick to secure your booking. The following payments will be required:
$2500.00 USD to secure your spot
Additional payment due dates will be provided.
We will be in touch via e-mail for your payment and provide individual invoices. We would recommend purchasing your flights when 2025 flight schedules are loaded to secure reasonably priced flights. To check for available spaces and reserve your spot, email: info@designedforscuba.com
Terms and Conditions
Designed for Scuba, LLC highly recommends you purchase travel and dive insurance as soon as possible after confirming your travel plans. We recommend Dive Assure or DAN for diving insurance. We recommend Dive Assure or DAN for diving insurance. Dive Assure offers a Dive and Travel Insurance annual and short-term (per trip). You can purchase it here: https://diveassure.com/en/home/?pid=18662
Evidence of adequate travel and dive insurance must be provided prior to departure.
Bookings made more than 100 days out from the start of a trip require a deposit of $800.00 USD per passenger in 2024 and a regular deposit schedule will commence in late 2024/early 2025.
All deposits are non-refundable.
Bookings made less than 100 days out from tour commencement require payment in full to secure your booking.
Payment in full is required 100 days out from the start of the trip. We will email you a final payment reminders. No refunds will be given within 100 days of the start of any trip, under any circumstances.
If you cancel your spot more than 100 days before the start of a trip, and we are able to resell/fill the spot, a trip credit for your remaining balance (minus a $300 USD service fee deducted) will be issued for use on another Designed for Scuba, LLC trip within 2 years of the cancellation.
If you cancel your spot less than 99 days prior to the start of a trip, no refund or credit will be issued for deposits that have been paid.
If our In-Country Providers cancel or if aForce Majeure Event occurs, meaning any act of God, war, terrorism, fire, flood or any other extreme weather conditions, loss of power, epidemics or pandemics, industrial disputes, slow-downs or other strike activities, riots or civil disturbances, acts of government, semi government or other authorities, inability to obtain any necessary license or consent and delays caused by sub-contractors, suppliers or other third parties (including telecommunications carriers), material shortages or other disruption to the trip beyond our control, Designed for Diving shall not be held responsible for matters outside of our control or any failure to deliver the trip.
The affiliated and established company such as Aurora Adventures, holds the relevant insurances and maintains responsibility for the dive and snorkel insurance policies and procedures. As such when in the water diving, snorkeling or swimming you are diving under the affiliated company's policies and procedures and must adhere to either the Captain, Dive Instructor or Divemaster’s instructions.
Designed for Scuba, LLC takes no responsibility for loss, damage or injury arising from any shortfall, error or omission in the information passed to the customer during the course of the sale or subsequent delivery of the product. The company takes no responsibility nor can be held liable for loss, damage, or injury that occurs on a supplier’s or service provider’s premises or transport, or between two such premises.
Participation in any of the Activities involves certain risks which may result in injury or death. This warning does not purport to describe or disclose all risks associated with participation of the Activities. There are a wide range of inherent risks when engaging in sports and particularly underwater sports; for example, with diving there is the risk of decompression sickness, embolism or other hyperbaric injury can occur that requires treatment in a recompression chamber. Open water scuba diving trips may be conducted at sites that are remote, either by time or distance, from emergency services or recompression facilities. Scuba diving, snorkeling and tours will involve uncontrolled encounters with wild animals which bears the risk of stings, bites, and at the extreme end, more serious injury and death. Participants should be responsible and aware of animal behaviors and their own interactions and engage in these activities entirely at their own risk.
We will not be liable to you in respect of any personal injury (including without limitation serious injury or death) that you may suffer or sustain directly or indirectly as a result of attending the Trip or participation in the Activities. Nor will we be liable to you in respect of any other losses arising as a result of any such personal injury (including without limitation loss of profit or earnings or other consequential losses). We will not be liable to you in respect of any of your personal property that is lost, stolen or damaged before, during or after a trip.
Please ensure you understand our cancellation policy prior to providing any deposits and agree to the booking and trip. By placing a booking with Designed for Scuba, LLC, this implies that you accept these booking terms and conditions and cancellation policy.