These Cruise Lines Are the Only Ones to Let You Snorkel and Dive in Antarctica

10.12.2024 - 21:45 / matadornetwork.com / Cruises

While Antarctica is remote, it’s hardly inaccessible any longer, even for tourists. Well over 15 cruise lines travel to the seventh continent during the Antarctic summer, and while restrictions apply, many of them even land on Antarctica. The cruise lines that are allowed to organize landing activities go all out in what they offer their passengers: polar plunges in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean, kayaking and SUPing sessions around icebergs, camping on the ice, penguin-viewing hikes, and Zodiac rides in search of wildlife. While both Scenic Cruises and Seabourn offer submarine excursions during their sailings to the seventh continent, only two operators give their passengers the chance to have the ultimate adventure: snorkel and dive in Antarctica.

Photo: Oceanwide Expeditions / Andrew Peacock

Oceanwide Expeditions is a Dutch, adventure-focused operator that sails in several locations in both the Arctic and the Antarctic. During its voyages to Antarctica, Oceanwide Expeditions offers polar diving excursions from three of its ships: the M/V Hondius, the M/V Ortelius, and the M/V Plancius. Oceanwide Expeditions is working on adding snorkeling to their Antarctica sailings, but this activity is not currently available.

Polar diving in Antarctica is only available to travelers with at least 30 dry-suit dives under their belts. To prove their experience, the divers are required to show and provide copies of an internationally accepted diving certificate and their logbook. The first dive of each trip is a test that allows the dive leader to gauge the level of experience of each guest, and travelers to test out their equipment and get used to the temperature of the water. Guests who do not meet the necessary requirements during the test dive will not be allowed to dive again.

Guests dive from Zodiac at safe locations twice per day if the weather and sea conditions allow. All the diving expeditions are led in English by certified and experienced instructors, including one dive leader and one or two guides. Oceanwide Expeditions has a dive guide-to-diver ratio of one to six.

Travelers can expect to dive at a maximum depth of 65 feet and explore shipwrecks and ice walls, and observe marine creatures, including penguins, several species of starfish, sea butterflies, fur seals, soft corals, and many more — possibly even leopard seals.

While Oceanwide Expeditions provides tanks and weights, divers need to bring their own equipment, including dry suit, face mask, and all other accessories.

Ocean Expeditions’ 10-day Antarctica — Whale Watching Discovery and Learning Voyage, scheduled to take place between March 10 and March 20, 2026, starts at $7102 for a berth in a four-person cabin. Other more costly options are