On 18th July I attended a World Expeditions Adventure Presentation on voyages to the Arctic and Antarctica presented by Greg Mortimer.
From their blurb:
“Greg Mortimer is a pioneer in Polar tourism. Antarctica and the high Arctic have dominated his life for the past three decades. Greg has worked as a geologist in Antarctica, was one of the first Australian’s to climb Minto, the continents highest peak, and has personally led over 80 voyages to the region since 1992. No other Australian has more passion, or knows more about the Polar Regions, than Greg.
Join Greg as he outlines the numerous opportunities available to you to experience the wild untamed magnificence of Antarctica and the high Arctic. Discover what you could be doing in some of the world’s most precious and extreme wilderness landscapes, from South Georgia to the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula to the remote Ross Sea and as far north to Spitsbergen, Greenland & Iceland.
Greg’s visual voyage will provide you with a deep insight into the wildlife, history, majestic icescapes and of course what it’s like on board our ships and what gear you’ll need to take.”
Greg is a very humble person despite his many and varied achievements and it was a very enjoyable evening as he shared his personal account of what it is like to visit the polar regions.
Having lived and travelled extensively in Norway, including an Expedition Medicine course near Alta in the Norwegian Arctic, and visited Iceland (promptly falling in love with the remarkable landscapes), visiting places like Greenland and Svalbard and seeing polar bears (my favourite animal) up close and personal (but not too close!) is on my “bucket list” and readers of this blog will know that I have long had a hankering to visit and/or work in Antarctica. For a couple of years I have been trying to ‘get a gig’ as a ship’s doctor with one tour company, but no luck so far (keenly competitive as you might imagine – no pay but you get the trip for free!).
Greg shared his stories, personal impressions and some stunning photographs of Svalbard and Spitzbergen, Iceland, Greenland and Franz Josef Land (not a place many of us had heard of before) and some close encounters with polar bears. He also talked about the amazing bird life.
Moving to the other end of the world, he talked about Ushuaia, the setting off point in Argentina, the voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, the main Antarctic continent and Macquarie Island and the varied climates, terrains and animal life in these different areas. There was one fun photo of ‘camping out’ in Antarctica under the midnight sun!
Greg told us that he had been to Antarctica 100 times, and holds a wealth of knowledge about the polar regions and its history. He will be leading some of the trips during the 2012-13 season, including a new “Ross Sea Explorer” trip travelling from New Zealand to Antarctica.
Based on what I saw during the presentation, World Expeditions appears to be a reputable, professional and responsible company and would be well worth considering if you are thinking about a trip to the polar regions. As for me, I would still love to go so will have to continue working on trying to find that ‘lucky break’!
For further information see:
www.worldexpeditions.com
info@worldexpeditions.com.au
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