Waterproof Dive & Adventure Expeditions
Antarctica Dive and Photography Expeditions
Antarctica Dive and Photography Expeditions’ mission is to explore Antarctica’s beauty, both above and below the waterline. These are great trips for both divers and non-divers; each group has its own guides and nobody has to compromise. Smaller groups on landings and more exploratory zodiac cruises are great for the explorers onboard, and the divers will have amazing experiences underwater – usually diving on Antarctica is an “added” activity but these trips make it the focus. And divers are welcome to skip a dive and enjoy a hike or a zodiac trip. Together these activities make lively conversations around the dinner table as divers and hikers compare their experiences and complement each other’s views of the land.
You need to be an advanced diver with good grasp of diving in a dry suit to attempt these waters.
See incredible ice formations and marine life seemingly from another planet, such as the giant isopods and salps. Seals race fearlessly by, graceful and fast in their movements. Take your time to explore an environment few divers have ever seen – kelp walls, sea snails, sea butterflies, jellyfish, sea hedgehogs, and multitude of Antarctic fish. All diving is done in a controlled environment around small ground icebergs, from the shore, zodiac or an ice shell. Another important element of the trips is snorkeling, and the chance to encounter leopard seals and humpback whales. Onboard the Polar Pioneer
Dates: February 4 - 15, 2011
February 15 - 26, 2011
Price: $5,185 - $8,835 + dive package $985 per person, double occupancy
All prices subject to currency fluctuation
Join Waterproof on this unique dive, exploration and photography expedition featuring the elusive leopard seal. You will dive, snorkel, photograph and film these fascinating creatures during a private voyage for only twelve guests onboard the Hanse Explorer. From late February to early March the penguins of Antarctica leave their large nesting colonies to spend the season at sea. The adults go first, then the newly fledged chicks. While for most birds fledging means learning to fly, for penguins this is learning to swim. They stand on shore and face the sea. The sea is their survival filled with fish, squid and krill. It's a daunting task. Leopard seals are out there waiting, hunting and patrolling for the slow and unwary. They kill hundreds, perhaps thousands, of penguins. To dive an azure blue iceberg is the ultimate high, but to be joined on the same dive by a huge leopard seal, that's when the mind really blows!
There are many advantages to joining the small group on this voyage. The small numbers give us great flexibility and the chance to offer a wide choice of activities from landings and hiking to diving, cruising and photography. This is the ultimate complete Antarctic experience. Non-divers will enjoy the cruise as much as the divers; you can come onboard as a snorkeler, a photographer or a hiker – or all three! Amos Nachoum, the famous professional photographer is onboard the teach photo skills and help you to advance your art. Onboard the Hanse Explorer
Dates: February 17 - March 4, 2011
Price: $22,110 per person, double occupancy
All prices subject to currency fluctuation
On the ten-night trip circumnavigation of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, you will sail along sculpted glacier fronts, through breathtakingly scenic fjords and among sparkling ice caps lit by the midnight sun. The wildlife watching around Spitsbergen is excellent with Arctic foxes, bearded seals, walrus, beluga whales and the ultimate wildlife encounter, the mighty polar bear. Advanced divers have the unique opportunity to experience a rarely seen underwater world while the explorers have exhilarating zodiac cruises and the chance to explore by kayak. As all Waterproof expeditions, both divers and non-divers have their own dedicated guides and you don’t have to compromise.
The itinerary’s aim is to sail to the remote Polar Regions to experience the Arctic wilderness of Svalbard, Spitsbergen. Drift ice, flora, fauna, and the birdlife are all remarkable. The further north and east that you sail, the more ice you will meet. The ice will gradually build up until you will see large ice floes with seals resting on them. This is polar bear country, where the bears hunt seals for their food, and here is your best chance of seeing the king of the arctic. You will also discover hunters’ shelters and other evidence of the fierce conditions endured by the early polar pioneers. Onboard the Polar Pioneer
Dates: July 8 - 18, 2010
July 18 - 28, 2010
Price: $4,105 - $7,090 + dive package $750 per person, double occupancy
All prices subject to currency fluctuation
On the expedition cruises around Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and the beautiful coast of East Greenland, you will sail along sculpted glacier fronts, through breathtakingly scenic fjords and amongst sparkling ice caps lit by the midnight sun. The wildlife watching around Spitsbergen is excellent with Arctic foxes, bearded seals, walrus, beluga whales and the ultimate wildlife encounter, the mighty polar bear. Advanced divers have the unique opportunity to experience a rarely seen underwater world while for the explorers there are exhilarating zodiac cruises and the chance to explore by kayak. Neither group has to compromise; both have their own guides and zodiacs.
For the advanced diver, the high Arctic is an amazing experience. The kelp beds of north and east Spitsbergen offer protection to sea-bottom life such as sea anemones, sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, shrimps and fish. Diving in East Greenland is purely exploratory and you will be one of the very few divers in the world to dive the area. East Greenland is a protected national park with shy and elusive wildlife, with the most awesome expanses of stunning natural landscapes and legendary stories of mankind’s exploration and settlement in this challenging environment ranging from the hunters’ huts to modern Inuit communities. Join us the trip to explore this truly stunning landscape of dramatic fjords, pack ice, late summer icebergs and endless tundra. Onboard the Polar Pioneer
Dates: July 28 - August 19, 2010
Price: $7,225 + dive package $750 per person, double occupancy
All prices subject to currency fluctuation
The White Sea is a beautiful, untouched area with a rich and unique local wildlife. It belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin and every winter Greenland seals birth their calves here. It is home to the white whales, deserted seashores and numerous uninhabited islands with scenic panoramas of steep rocky shores, flat strips of taiga and forest. The underwater world of the White Sea boasts excellent scenery with ice formations, caverns and fissures with magnificent sea life. You will see soft corals, sponges, starfish, crabs, hermit crabs, sea urchins, shrimps and sea anemones – and have a chance to snorkel with inquisitive beluga whales. Underwater rocks provide dwelling places for cod, wolffish, sea perch, butterfish and flounders. In winter lancet fish, tomcod flounder and pinogor will allow you to approach very closely.
Snowmobiles will take you to the mobile heated ice camp where you will suit up and enter the water. Your accommodations are provided by Arctic Circle Lodge which has wooden guesthouses twin rooms with private bathrooms or, if you choose, a less expensive rooms with shared bathrooms. The charismatic lodge has hearty and tasty Russian meals, karaoke and a fantastic traditional steam bath to chase the chill away. The easiest way to get to the diving at the White Sea is to fly to Kuusamo in Finland from where you will be transported by land to the lodge, a truly scenic 5-hour trip.
February 12 - 26, 2011
February 28 - March 5, 2011
April 5 - 12, 2011
April 14 - 19, 2011
Price: $1,845 - 2,265 per person, double occupancy
All prices subject to currency fluctuation