Antarctica

Wildlife, Diving, Snorkeling and Photography !

Aboard Polar Pioneer

8 to 22 February 2014

Special Group Departure

14 nights Ex Sydney
From
Diver / Snorkeler $14,307

per person

Price Includes:

Return flights ex. Sydney / Santiago / Buenos Aires / Ushuaia - Punta Arenas /
Ushuaia / Santiago / Sydney flying with LAN Airlines
1 nights twin share acc. The Loi Suites Recoleta - Buenos Aires
Includes: Buffet Breakfast
1 nights twin share acc. The Hotel Fuiguino - Ushuaia
Includes: Buffet Breakfast
9 night Antarctica Expedition aboard aboard the Polar Pioneer
Triple share cabin with shared bathroom facilities
Full board whilst aboard the Polar Pioneer
Leadership by an experienced Expedition Leader and Polar Dive Master
All dives or shore landing and excursions by zodiac according to daily program
All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges through the program
Snorkeller Package Includes :
Use of Waterproof Snorkel dry suit, hood and gloves, scuba fins, mask and snorkel, weightbelt and
instruction and guidance by a Polar guide.

Diver Package Includes:

Leadership by an experienced Polar Dive Master, Professional dive operation including dive compressor,
Tanks, weights and belt ( Note: You will need to bring your own personal diving equipment )

Flight from King George Island to Punta Arenas

1 nights twin share acc. Cabo He Hornos Hotel - Punta Arenas
Includes : Buffet Breakfast
Australian Departure tax

Optional cabin upgrades

Twin share with shared bathroom facilities : $1,536.00 per person
Twin share with private bathroom facilities : $2,884.00 per person
Twin share superior Cabin : $3,956.00 per person
Cost Does Not Include:

Travel Insurance, Personal spending monies, Passport and visa fees

Excess Luggage Surcharges, Personal diving equipment

Conditions Apply: Prices are subject to change due to 2014 rates increases, schedule changes and
fluctuations in EURO & USD exchange rates without notice.
Booking Requirements:
To secure your place on this expedition, please complete a booking form and return it together with a non
refundable deposit. The required deposits are as follows:
Triple share $4,200.00pp / Twin share $4,700.00 / Twin share private $5,100.00pp / Twin superior $5,450.00pp
Note : Additional payment instalments will be required throughout the duration of the booking.
Booking Reference # S10687

Date : 01/01/13

FOR BOOKINGS AND MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Dive Adventures
Lic. No. 2TA 003537

YOUR DIVING HOLIDAY SPECIALIST

www.diveadventures.com.au

Unit A 5.2, 6385 Turner Street , Port Melbourne , VIC 3207

Ph: 03 9646 5945 Fax : 03 9646 8589
Unit 607 , Level 6, 379383 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Ph: 02 9299 4633 Fax : 02 9299 4644

E-mail: tracy@diveadventures.com.au

ANTARCTICA
WILDLIFE - DIVING - SNORKELING - PHOTOGRAPHY

With its overwhelming array of colours, moods, diverse wildlife and underwater world the spectacular Antarctic Peninsula is a
paradise for everyone who enjoys adventures on both land and sea. The opportunity to be in the company of thousands of
penguins, watching whales dolphins and seals, diving in an underwater world with a fascinating marine life, and zodiac
cruising between brilliant white icebergs and ice floes will captivate and amaze.
Why not come and join Dive Adventures and Waterproof Expeditions aboard the polar vessel Polar Pioneer for a unique
expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula with an emphasis on wildlife exploring, Polar Snorkeling, Polar Diving, and Underwater
and Topside photography We are effectively running various trips each with their own dedicated guides
For Polar Divers
Diving in Antarctica is a unique experience for the advanced diver. Not just ice, but an amazing underwater world with a
fascinating marine life filled with creatures that look as if they should live on another planet, such as giant isopods, worms and
fearless seals. With many years of experiences in extreme situations, we are trained to search out the best opportunities for
diving, taking into account the unpredictable weather and ice conditions, whilst maintaining the highest level of safety in
combination with quality diving. We dont dive through a hole in the ice but in a controlled environment under small, grounded
icebergs, diving from the shore, a zodiac or an ice shell.
NEW: Polar Snorkeling !
Are you a novice diver, or not a diver at all, you can still witness the fascinating underwater world, ice formations and snorkel
with Leopard Seals ! Sign up on our new Polar Snorkel Programme and become the worlds first Polar Snorkeler.
For the Land Explorers
We run small groups at a landing site or on a zodiac cruise. These small numbers give us exceptional freedom to do longer,
more exploratory activities and landings. On the landing sites, our 'footprint' is very small we are few enough to cause
virtually no disturbance, leaving us with more rewarding interactions with the wildlife and a feeling of being that little bit more
in our own personal wilderness.

Lic. No. 2TA 003537

YOUR DIVING HOLIDAY SPECIALIST

Vessel: Polar Pioneer

Polar Pioneer was built in Finland in 1985 as an
ice-strengthened research ship, and for many
years she plied the treacherous waters of the
USSR's northern coast. In 2000 the ship has
been converted for passenger use and ideally
suited to expedition cruising in polar areas. It
complies with the highest international safety
and environmental regulations, as well as the
Arctic and Antarctic shipping guidelines.
A combined bar/lounge/library area (stocked
with a good collection of polar books) was also
created by simple internal restructuring. The
spacious bridge is always open to us and the
decks are ideal for viewing.
The ship carries a full complement of Zodiac
crafts, for both cruising and landing ashore.
The chefs are international, and the dining room
is attended by Russian stewardesses.
Sometimes on our voyages the Chef will
organize a Polar barbecue on deck.
Surrounded by an impressive landscape and
accompanied by your fellow-travellers, staff
members and the Russian crew members, this
event is one to remember.
Passengers are accommodated in triple, twin or
superior cabins. Most cabins have private
facilities. All cabins have a desk, chair and
windows/portholes that open.
Twin Private cabin:
Two lower bunks and a desk, windows. Private
bathroom with shower, toilet and wash basin.
Cabins 402 & 403 have upper / lower bunks
with a desk and a couch.
Twin Public cabin:
Two lower bunks, wash basin, desk, couch,
ample storage and hanging space, portholes.
Showers and toilets are close by and shared
with other Main deck cabins.
Triple cabin:
Two lower bunks and one upper bunk, wash
basin, portholes, ample storage and hanging
space, a desk and a couch. Showers and toilets
are close by and shared with other Main deck
cabins

Twin standard cabin

Twin private cabin

For more information and for reservations please call

Sydney ph: (02) 9299 4633
Melbourne ph: (03) 9646 5945
Toll Free: 1800 242 724
or visit www.diveadventures.com.au

Lic. No. 2TA 003537

YOUR DIVING HOLIDAY SPECIALIST

Day 1 - 10th February 2014

In late afternoon you make your way to the pier in Ushuaia to board the ship. Have your identification
on hand, because you must pass through security.
Our staff on board will assist to find your cabin and where to store your dive gear. Take only your
regulator with you in your cabin. Every diver is expected to prepare his own equipment well in advance
prior to each dive. Bring your own spare parts for your regulators and dry suit in case of leakage or
damage.
When the Argentine authorities complete immigration, customs and other procedures, the sailing
through the scenic waterway of the Beagle Channel begins.
Days 2 & 3 - 11th & 12th February 2014
During these two days we sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross the Antarctic Convergence,
we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. The Drake Passage is notorious for high winds and
rolling seas. Traversing the Drake is as much a part of the Antarctic experience as penguins and krill.
With the right weather conditions your passage will be relatively easy.
After breakfast, the education program commences with a presentation that could be about seabirds
of the Southern Ocean. In this area we may see Wandering Albatrosses, Grey Headed Albatrosses,
Black- browed Albatrosses, Light- mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Cape Pigeons, Southern Fulmars,
Wilsons Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels. Near the South Shetland Islands, we
glimpse at the first icebergs.
If the winds are favourable we might do our first landing in Antarctic waters in the evening of the third
day at Aitcho Island or Penguin Island at the South Shetlands.
These volcanic islands are windswept and often shrouded in mist and fog, but do offer subtle
pleasures. There is a nice variety of flora (mosses, lichens and flowering grasses) and fauna, such as
Gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins and southern giant petrels.
Day 4 09 - 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th , 18th February 2014
A typical itinerary in the Antarctic Peninsula could be as follows. This is a sample only, the final
itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Team and is influenced local conditions, like ice and
weather.
We We start our first day in Antarctica with a mandatory check-out dive at an easy accessible site to
get accustomed to the cold water and adjust your weights. Our dive guides will be with you in the
water to assist you with your equipment.
Diving in Antarctica is serious stuff and safety is our first priority. Being comfortable in the water with
your equipment is essential.
We explore the Peninsulas westcoast, with time to watch the frenzied activities of penguin parents
and chicks. We zodiac cruise amongst icebergs and revel in the unparalleled beauty of vast Antarctic
land and icescapes.
On our way further South, ice conditions govern our movements. With luck we reach Magnificent
Crystal Sound, pass through the Gullet and steam on to Marguerite Bay. We may visit historical
Stonnington, Pourquoi Pas and Detaille Island.
Alternatively we may sail to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the
mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island. It contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins
and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. In Neko Harbour we will have the opportunity to set foot on the
Antarctic Continent in a magnificent landscape of huge glaciers.
When sailing to Paradise Bay, with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, we will have the
opportunity for zodiac cruising and diving between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords.
We will sail through the Lemaire Channel, famous for its beautiful scenery and great dive sites, to
Pleneau and Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue- eyed Shags.
We will visit one of the scientific stations in Antarctica, Vernadsky, which will give you an insight about
the life of modern Antarcticans working on the White Continent. The diving around the station is known
to be among the best in the area. Kelp walls and lots of marine life with sponges, anemones,
sea-stars, isopods and possibly Antarctic Cod.
Sailing north through Neumayer Channel we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful
landscape and again possibilities for zodiac cruising among the icebergs, where we may encounter
Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales. In this area we have good chances to see Humpback
Whales and Minke Whales.
Day 10 - 19th February 2014
We arrive at King George Island, time and weather permitting we will explore Fildes Bay and the
remote Bellinghausen Church before meeting our charter flight back to Punta Arenas in Chile.