Viking Cruises

'Yes, I was seasick BUT I'D GLADLY GO BACK' Crossing the formidable Drake Passage is a small price to pay to see the frozen wonderland of Antarctica and its myriad inhabitants Words Petra Rees W e are close to 100m deep and the submarine is shining a column of light through the deep blue water outside our acrylic bubble. Mostly we can see tiny bright fish scales and specks of "marine snow" floating through the icy water. But there are also transparent creatures; krill, their bodies pulsing past the light. Soon we have reached the sea floor and a fairy garden of delicate flora and minuscule see- through fish darting in and out. ere are anemones and sponges, small soft corals, lollipop sponges, sun stars and feather worms. Our pilot is confident we are the first to survey this small site. After all, we are in the depths of Antarctica, at the bottom of the sea, at the end of the Earth. It is a miracle of modern travel that ordinary passengers aboard the Viking Polaris expedition ship can take a submarine ride in such a remote location. Just over a century ago, this was the exclusive realm of explorers such as Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, Douglas Mawson and Ernest Shackleton. eir heroic feats of endurance, their stoic forbearance, their incredible inventiveness and, for some, the tragic consequences, gripped the world's imagination. Put any one of them aboard this ship on its luxurious 14-day expedition to Antarctica and they may not be used to the breakfast buffet, the heated floors in the bathrooms, and the spa treatments offered beside the warm vitality pool. ey might, however, have respected the science program carried out on board. e two yellow submarines (named after Beatles Ringo and George; Paul and John belong to sister ship Viking Octantis) on board are part of the advanced research program, which includes partners such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, the University of Exeter and the University of Western Australia. is is not science-washing: the submarine dives, for example, have led to a paper on sightings of giant phantom jellyfish, which have a bell about a metre wide and 10 metre-long tentacles. ese creatures have been seen only 115 times in the world in the past century, mostly at great depth, but in the Antarctic they have been spotted four more times at much shallower depths by those diving in the Viking submarines. So is it science or tourism? Viking claims it can be both, and that's a big part of the company's appeal to curious, adventurous travellers who have Antarctica on their bucket list. ere would be few, however, who come to Antarctica to see jellyfish. For who can resist the lure of penguins, humpback whales, wandering albatross and the occasional Weddell seal? My voyage began in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego, the "land of fire". e November 2022 voyage is one of the vessel's first outings; it was launched at the end of September as the second expedition ship, joining the identical Viking Octantis in exploring the iceberg-laden waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. For many aboard the ship, which can accommodate 378 guests, this is the trip of a lifetime. And Antarctica does not disappoint. It was Norway's Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911, who described the landscape as like something out of a fairytale. It is stunningly beautiful; a study in white. Sun spotlights gleaming banks of snow. Pale mist envelops a nunatak, the peak of a mountain protruding from the icy cold glare of a glacier. Icebergs reflect shades of blue from deep teal to dirty grey. e cliffs that calve these giant blocks seem to have the texture of sparkling chalk. Boom! We hear before we see the puff of white that signals an iceberg being born, slipping away and splashing into the ocean, setting off a shower of snow. e privilege of that moment, for we are among the relative few to have witnessed this scene, repeated endlessly through millennia. Offset against the white are the chocolate tones of rocky mountains, and the dark brown of penguin rookeries coloured by trampled guano. Even the wildlife selects a similar palette of pure reflected light and stormy grey-brown, with the occasional flash of an orange beak (the snowy sheathbill, about the size of a chicken) or the pink of gummy feet (the comedic gentoo penguin). ere are myriad ways to experience this extraordinary environment aboard Viking Polaris. e ship has 189 outside staterooms, each with a "Nordic balcony" of floor-to-ceiling glass. e top half of the window can be lowered to allow fresh air in and offer the best view of the landscape. Binoculars are provided so you don't miss a possible sighting of a bird or whale. You can promenade around the ship on Deck 5 or pull up a lounge chair 56 VIKING

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