Sylvia Earle Ship Reviews

Pod of Orca, 12 circled and porpoised on both sides of the Sylvia Earle for a long time. This was during dinner. Most of the passengers, expedition team, and many of the crew ran, outside on deck to observe the beautiful spectacle. It was an unforgettable moment of observing nature that was observing us!

Difficult to chose. Boarding the cruise, opening the curtains the first morning and see how we were navigating on ice, the quietness, meeting the expedition team, the polar plunge, camping, dinners with cruisse mates, the morning salutations from the crew, the lectures, every time we listened to a call for a landing... EVERYTHING!

South Georgia was the surprise! The extra sailing days were not the easiest but it was definitely worth it once arrived. That's definitely something incredible to know that there's a place like this on this planet. Lived up to every expectation Plus more.

On our second day in Antarctica, we celebrated crossing the Antarctic circle. All guests and expedition guides gathered on deck 8 as we joined in an Antarctic circle ritual: stamping a circle on our foreheads! Afterwards, we enjoyed the most fantastic views of The Gullet - a narrow passageway surrounded by towering mountains covered in thick layers of ice. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen!

Everyday involved an impact fill experience of majestic power and the serene strength of the Antarctic. At the peak of a snowshoeing event I came to realize all of what surrounded me did not seem real. Words can not describe what I saw and felt on this journey.

So many amazing moments that its tough to pick one. A few examples: - Being in a zodiac and suddenly finding ourselves being circled at close proximity by 2 pods of hunting humpback whales which were fluking, rolling and generally bubbling to confuse their prey. - Navigating the incredible Lemaire channel which was so blocked by a massive iceberg that getting through was a miracle performed by the ships bridge. - Looking down on and listening to the immense penguin colony at St Andrews bay in S.Georgia. - Seeing my first blue iceberg. - Seeing a glacier calve into the sea.

The thrilling view of the expansive collection of King Penguins on South Georgia Island - St. Andrew's Bay and Gold Harbor

Sailing through the Gunnel Channel into "The Gullet", past the Antarctic Circle and doing the toast to the words of Captian James Cook as we stamped ourselves with circles. Then kayaking in the Horseshoe Island area and stepping foot on the contenient.

There were no words the entire cruise was simply amazing the expedition team over the top the expertise of Howard Waylon got us everywhere we needed to be safely with just spectacular landings. Aurora expeditions their entire corporate culture is fabulous. The ship was beautiful new yet understated.

The most exciting was being lucky enough to see all of the Orcas surrounding our ship. They were everywhere, and so beautiful. We all jumped up from dinner and ran outside without our jackets (note: worth carrying your jacket for these sudden surprise viewings!) and it was truly magical.

The Zodiac rides where (1) we were in the middle of three humpback whales for 30-45 minutes as they circled and approached our Zodiac, getting no more than 6 feet away from us, and (2) we were watching 15-20 seals playing near an iceberg that lost a portion of ice at one end and then began rotating and turning as we watched this rare and memorable sight.

Seeing icebergs for the first time and getting out on the water. This memory even manages to surpass seeing penguins, seals and whales up-close.

Being surrounded by humpbacks bubble-net feeding in a protected bay on the first night on the peninsula.

Minke whale under my kayak. Polar plunge Crossed the circle

The last night where we dropped anchor in a sun lit bay and had the BBQ outdoors on deck, we were able to reflect on an amazing expedition, with the friends we'd made and then some humpbacks turned up and showed us their tails reflecting the setting sun - magic

There were two - setting foot on the main continent of Antarctica during sunset and experiencing the sheer size and scope of the wildlife on South Georgia (especially seeing the playful personalities of the Gentoo penguins and seal pups).

Everything! The scenery was fantastic. The food was amazing. The guides were great. All the wildlife and all the experiences of being there. It is hard to describe how awesome it was. Those who have been to Antarctica can relate. So much fun!

We were very happy with our choice to see Antartica up close through using kayaks to cruise through the icebergs. The most memorable was first seeing the size and magnificence of these beautiful structures.

There is no one most memorable moment. Every day had memorable moments. But if I had to choose one, it would be seeing the icebergs and absorbing the incredible landscape.

Hard to pin down one, seeing all the adorable penguins was nice, the majestic scenery when ship was sailing, some of icebergs and glaciers with the blue in it, the polar plunge (although that was about 15 seconds), waiting in Punta Arenas for two days due to bad weather before we could fly over to King George Island,