Christmas morning. Waking up to kayak in water surrounded by ice chunks. A minke whale pops up right as we are switching the zodiacs. The sun came out for the first time and it was magical.

Life changing

The expedition team is what made this trip even better. They were all so friendly and interesting in their own degrees. Their presentations were fascinating. I really enjoyed Ash's climate talk and Tim's talk about his experience living in Antarctica. Clara was super friendly in the gift shop. Nigel and Wendy are life goals for me. I've always wanted to be a guide but have thought I missed my chance in my 20's. They convinced me that I can still live that dream. Machu the photographer was phenomenal and would share his tips and tricks for getting a good shot. Beate was fascinating to talk to about her PHD and studies. Hadleigh was a great leader and always was keeping us up to date with the wind maps and had quite the British humor. Anastasia and Brandon were very inspiring to talk to about their travels. Sophia and Jess were super knowledgable and enthusiastic about kayaking and you could tell they took safety as their number one priority.

The wildlife was more than I could have ever dreamed. The first day we were surrounded by over 20 + humpback whales breaching and feeding in Fournier bay. Then Orcas were spotted in the distance. I went out to grab some shots and at one point I was the only person on the deck. A pair of orcas swam right under the boat and I cried. The penguins were adorable and so hard not to take millions of photos and videos of, we were fortunate enough to see 4 species of penguins. The seals were also just as adorable, not as abundant but still plenty.

I felt safe at all times on the Zodiacs. I never did just a zodiac excursion because I was kayaking.

Ocean Nova was great, I would 10/10 do it again. Hopefully one day I can return as a crew member. It had all the accommodations I could ask for. The food was great and there was always plenty of options. The coffee machine was my favorite amenity. It was also nice that it had a small gym.

I enjoyed kayaking. When I signed up, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I assumed it was only a one time thing, but didn't realize that it would happen almost daily. It was a great experience, but sometimes I felt like we missed out on some of the landings and closeness to wildlife. I know obviously for safety reasons kayaks should stay further away from the wildlife than in the zodiaks.

If you are in close contact with the ship operator’s hiring staff, I would love to know of future job opportunities.

Do it! It is completely worth it. The natural beauty and remoteness of Antarctica is absolutely astounding.

I've always been in tune to nature and animals, but seeing how pristine and left to the wild it is makes me really think twice about the choices I have made in my daily life. Climate change is drastically affecting the world today and I have to do a better part in reducing my carbon footprint.