Fleeting and surreal, this might be Antarctica’s rarest experience

The date is November 25, 2024. It’s 6.49am. This is significant because to be here at this exact moment is to experience something few people who make the long voyage to Antarctica will.

“We’re in the very beautiful Wilhelmina Bay,” says the ship’s namesake Aussie adventurer, and our expedition leader, Greg Mortimer over the intercom.

“Very soon, you should feel a big bang as we put the nose of the ship into a vast expanse of sea ice.”

I look outside to see the frozen bay getting closer. There’s a small shudder as the captain pushes the vessel in before reversing for a second go. Our ship, Aurora Expeditions’ Greg Mortimer, is now snugly wedged into a desert of ice. Soon, I’ll be walking on this gaping white jaw, peaks emerging out of the gloomy low cloud around us like teeth.

Ice landings are among the rarest things you can experience in Antarctica.Credit: Adrian Wlodarczyk

The Australian-owned expedition company, which achieved B Corp status last year (a hard-won certification based on a company’s commitment to balancing purpose and profit), offers everything from sea kayaking to camping and skiing on certain Antarctic expeditions.

But sea ice landings are rare.

It’s my second visit to the White Continent with my mum in tow, and the first time I’ve heard of such a thing. We’re into our fifth day of a 21-day “South Georgia and Antarctic Odyssey” on-board the Greg Mortimer, and the crew kept this one very quiet.

“We might have a surprise for you tomorrow,” hinted bird expert Linda Steutel the evening before. “But we’re not sure, we don’t know if it’s still there.”

Adventurer and Aurora founder Greg Mortimer leads the ice trek.Credit: Adrian Wlodarczyk

Such is the fleeting nature of what awaits you in Antarctica, a fact that becomes even more apparent during the climate lectures on-board.

The cruise season here begins in late October and ends late March. No itineraries are ever the same. A week or more later and the sea ice would have melted, making a sea ice landing impossible.

For many of the 22 expedition crew, some who have worked for the company for many years, it’s also their first time experiencing it.

We watch from our balcony as the expedition team disembark from the gangway and spend nearly an hour testing the ice with long rods in various locations to make sure it’s safe. Then, portside is called to disembark.

We gear up and descend the stairs to this frozen land, where we spend the next hour. “This is pretty cool,” says ever-humble geologist Mortimer, like he’s casually stumbled upon an unusual rock on the beach.

An icy wonderland wraps the ship.

“We’re standing on about a foot of frozen snow. Underneath it, there’s about almost a metre of sea ice, but it’s very slushy because it’s getting late in the ice season now,” says Mortimer, who has been coming to Antarctica for 33 years.

“We don’t want to put flags out. We just want you to go, but in a linear way, out from the stern. It’s really safe to walk on.”

And walk we do. The energy is high; passengers take turns holding the anchor rope for photos, there are plenty of selfies and in some cases, handstands.

It’s surreal to look back at the ship’s bow totally engulfed by ice. We’re the only living, breathing things here – until a group of curious Adelie penguins rock up. They inch closer and closer as a line of spectators unfolds at a respectful distance.

As the wind blows a bone-chilling gale, the penguins’ profiles hunch a little more. They stand opposite us like grumpy teenagers dragged here by their parents. It’s the icing on the cake of this once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic treat, and later that night, we’re reminded of just how fortunate we are. “That experience was rare, really rare,” says Mortimer.

The details

Fly

Qantas flies from Sydney to Buenos Aires via Santiago (connections via partner airline LATAM) from about $3578 return. Aerolineas Argentinas flies direct to Ushuaia from Buenos Aires from about $414 return. See qantas.com.au; aerolineas.com.ar

Cruise

Aurora Expeditions 21-day South Georgia, Falklands and Antarctic Odyssey cruise departs Ushuaia and includes the Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. Prices start from about $33,624 a person. See auroraexpeditions.com.au

The writer travelled with the assistance of Aurora Expeditions.