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My final expedition for 2023 was to the Antarctic Peninsula – a location that continues to inspire and fuel my creativity and one I never tire of returning to. This expedition was a full, dedicated charter to the Peninsula for landscape and wildlife – it was not a shared expedition with general Antarctic tourists. This trip was my twelfth season guiding expeditions to Antarctica, and it is always wonderful to return to this miraculous continent. Over the many years of leading trips to Antarctica, I have learned that the best possible experiences and photographs always come from dedicated expeditions that are not shared with general tourists.

This expedition began in early December in Ushuaia at the bottom of South America. Our trip was blessed with a smooth crossing of the Drake by the usual standards, which was probably a 3 out of 10, with gentle to moderate swells for most of the crossing. Our smooth crossing enabled us to make excellent speed (averaging between 11 and 12 knots) that saw us arrive in the South Shetland Islands much earlier than anticipated.

The smooth, fast crossing meant we had some additional time up our sleeve, which we took advantage of with a bonus sunset landing at Fort Point (our first sub-Antarctic landing). I had never visited this location before, but it offered some excellent opportunities with both Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as the sun was setting. For many aboard, this was their first-ever Antarctic landing.

On our first full-planned day in Antarctica, we landed at Half Moon Island in overcast conditions that provided a lovely softbox. Although we were early in the season, the snow was already quite patchy at this location due to a recent warm spell. Nevertheless, there were excellent opportunities to explore this large Chinstrap colony and the surrounding landscape. Half Moon Island is my favourite location in the South Shetlands for its abundant wildlife and diverse backdrops.

With suitably calm seas, we could squeeze in a much-anticipated landing at Deception Island in the late afternoon. I have been fortunate to land at Deception Island (Whalers Bay) in everything from blazing sunshine to heavy snowfall. However, this landing was the first time I had experienced rain this far south, this early in the season. The unwanted rain beautifully saturates and emphasises the patina in the many rusty relics from the bygone whaling era. Whalers Bay is a location that never ceases to amaze, with a never-ending array of photographic options to pursue, from the grand landscape to the intimate details of the many abandoned relics.

With Half Moon and Deception Island already in the bag, we heaved anchor and steamed south for Cuverville Island and its abundance of Gentoo penguins. Cuverville Island is one of the Antarctic Peninsula’s most picturesque and anticipated landing sites. The bay in front of the landing site is frequently home to many icebergs, and the island itself is surrounded by steep peaks and plunging glaciers that make for stunning backdrops. This island has been a highly profitable location in past visits, with many keeper photographs resulting from my many landings here. This year’s landing did not disappoint, with soft snowfall and many opportunities with the penguins.

We arrived at Cuverville Island in heavy snowfall and low clouds, perfect conditions for photographing the many Gentoo penguins that live on this fantastic island. Shortly after breakfast, we went ashore for over three hours in conditions that could only be described as perfect for photography. As the hours passed, the snowfall cleared, and the clouds lifted a little, providing spectacular views of the surrounding peaks and glaciers. Several of the group also took the opportunity to zodiac cruise amongst the nearby icebergs. Another of the benefits of a fully dedicated charter is the ability to split the group into those who wish to photograph icebergs and those who want to photograph the penguins.

The afternoon saw us land at Neko harbour under beautiful soft light with mirror reflections of the peaks and glaciers in the dark Antarctic waters. There were several carvings from the nearby glacier face during our landing, and this was also the first opportunity to photograph some Weddell seals hauled out on the snow and Sub-Antartic Skuas as they flew back and forth against the glacial backdrop. We steamed south in perpetration for the Lemaire channel on return from Neko the following morning.

The morning of the Lemaire greeted us with heavy overcast conditions as we sailed through this spectacular narrow channel. There was little ice in the channel this year, but the overhanging glaciers and precipitous mountains were as stunning as ever. The Lemaire channel remains one of the stand-out highlights of any expedition to the Peninsula. Successful navigation of the Lemaire is never guaranteed this early in the season, but the lack of ice made Captain June’s job easy as we traversed this narrow channel. As always, the Lemaire channel is best enjoyed and photographed from the bow of the ship, where our group spent most of their time as we navigated the channel.

The following day, we had an early morning Landing at Petermann Island after breakfast in soft, overcast conditions, followed by a fantastic zodiac cruise with around half a dozen humpback whales feeding amongst the icebergs. Opportunities to photograph the whales against the many glacial backdrops were in abundance, and we spent several hours in the zodiacs photographing the many humpbacks. Whale photography can be problematic from the high decks of expedition vessels, but from the water level of a small zodiac, it is possible to capture powerful photographs of these ocean-dwelling giants.

In the afternoon, we visited Port Charcot for a landing in heavy snowfall with the penguins. Port Charcot offered an opportunity for minimalist photography of the penguins in the snow. This site was a new landing for me and was one I found offered a lot of opportunities for minimalist photography.

The following day, after an early wake-up call, we visited Paradise Bay for an incredible zodiac cruise amongst the icebergs. In the mid-morning, some of us went ashore in stunning conditions for a pre-planned wedding of my good friends Sam and Michelle before we made our way north to Gourdin Island. Being the best man at the ceremony with my long-time friend Martyn Lucas was an absolute honour. We wish Sam and Michelle a wonderful and happy life together.

After a morning landing and zodiac cruise at Gordan Island with Adelie penguins, we had a ship cruise with Orcas in Antarctic Sound.

We then headed deeper into the Weddell Sea down the East coast of Snow Hill, cruising with incredible tabular icebergs in soft light and snowfall and Emperor Penguins! Due to the low sea ice conditions this year, we were able to get further south than ever before, arriving at the southern end of Snow Hill!

Our time in the Weddell Sea saw us in full expedition mode, cruising for tabular icebergs and Emperor penguins. Late in the day, I put Zodiacs in the water to photograph the Emperor Penguin and Adelies at eye level as they rested on a small ice flow in stunning soft light and gentle snowfall.

Enjoy the time-lapse video below of Photographers and our first Emperor Penguin encounter.

Our last landing was at Paulet Island with over 200 hundred thousand Adelie Penguins. Conditions remained blessedly overcast, with soft light and unique opportunities to photograph the penguins on the many icebergs around the island. For a final activity, we undertook a fantastic zodiac cruise with Adelie penguins on icebergs in overcast conditions.

Our expedition wrapped up with our safe return to Ushuaia after a reasonably average Drake crossing that, in fact, turned out to be much smoother than anticipated. The weather forecast was for formidable winds and seas that mercifully did not eventuate. Most of the return crossing saw us veiled in sea fog with average swells, making for a reasonably calm and pleasant crossing. We disembarked and completed our expedition on the morning of the 21st of December. My sincere thanks to all who participated and helped in making this a truly remarkable expedition.

My next expedition to Antarctica will be a sold-out expedition for Emperor Penguins to the world’s most southerly colony at Gould Bay in November 2024. If you missed out on a place, bookings are now open for 2025. Please drop me an email to register your interest.