Diving in Antarctica
Ice walls, icebergs and leopard seals — polar diving along the Antarctic Peninsula
Diving in Antarctica — ice walls, icebergs, leopard seals and penguins underwater. Season, requirements and expedition schedules.
Why divers come here
- Diving ice walls and the submerged flanks of icebergs in the Gerlache Strait
- Leopard seals and crabeater seals approaching divers at close range
- Gentoo and chinstrap penguins hunting krill underwater
- The whaling ship Governoren in Foyn Harbour — a shallow wreck aground since 1915
- Sailing into the flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island through Neptune's Bellows
- The Drake Passage crossing with albatrosses and humpback whale watching
What you'll meet underwater
Leopard seal
Crabeater seal
Weddell seal
Gentoo and chinstrap penguins
Humpback and minke whales
Antarctic krill
Sea stars and brittle stars
Ribbon worms and giant isopods
Photos: credits and licences
- Leopard seal — Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crabeater seal — François Guerraz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Weddell seal — Samuel Blanc, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gentoo and chinstrap penguins — Ken FUNAKOSHI, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Humpback and minke whales — Juan Cruzado Cortés, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Antarctic krill — Krill666.jpg: Uwe Kils, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sea stars and brittle stars — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ribbon worms and giant isopods — NOAA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Practical information
- Best season
November–March (Antarctic summer)
December–January for penguin colonies, February–March for whales and the best visibility
- Water temperature
- -2–2 °C
- Visibility
- 6–30 m
- Wetsuit
Drysuit only, with warm undergarments, dry gloves and a 7–10 mm hood
a wetsuit is not acceptable
- Experience level
Advanced — drysuit certification and cold-water experience are mandatory, 30+ logged dives
- Getting there
Fly to Buenos Aires, then take a domestic flight to Ushuaia (USH), where the expedition vessels depart.
The alternative gateway port is Punta Arenas (PUQ) in Chile.
- Airports
- Ushuaia (USH), Punta Arenas (PUQ)
- Visa
No visa is required for Antarctica itself — the territory belongs to no state.
You need a visa for the gateway country: Argentina is visa-free for Russian citizens for up to 90 days, Chile for up to 90 days.
- Climate
Polar maritime, −5 to +5°C on the peninsula coast in summer, gale-force winds in the Drake Passage
- Currency
No local currency; onboard payments in US dollars (USD) or euros (EUR), Argentine peso (ARS) in Ushuaia
- Language
No permanent population; English on board, Spanish in the gateway ports
- Time zone
UTC−3 (Ushuaia time, kept on board for the whole voyage)
Journeys — Antarctica
All Journeys
Other destinations
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