Introducing a new blog series, "A Day in the Life of an Expedition Guide" This mini-series showcases what it's like to work as an expedition guide aboard small ships around the world. The goal is to share the many joys of working in some of the planet's most far-flung places.
I find myself regularly addressing the questions: 1) What is your job? and, 2) What does a typical day look like? I've written an article that describes what my job is (you can find it here), but I often find myself struggling to describe what a typical day looks like. This is mainly because it's vastly different depending on the region I'm working in. In an effort to highlight what working as an expedition guide is like, I've started this series,"A Day in The Life." This particular blog post details a day I spent working as an expedition guide, lecturer and zodiac driver around Pléneau Island, and Petermann Island, Antarctica.
MORNING
Wake Up Call
Typically, operations in Antarctica start early. Today, I set my alarm for 5:45am. This allows me enough time to ease into my morning routine. First, I open my blinds and take in the surroundings. I do a brief evaluation of the weather and wind conditions. The sky is slightly overcast, and the water flat and calm. The surroundings are so gorgeous that I spend a few minutes appreciating the view before doing anything else. I go ahead and put on my base layers, grab my radio and head down to breakfast.
Breakfast in the Mess
I go straight to the crew mess for breakfast. Most of the expedition team hustles in and out of the mess at the same time. Because we have a zodiac cruise first thing in the morning, conversations at the table revolve around Pléneau. Most of us visited this area the week before, so we swap personal antidotes.
final Gear check & Layering up!
After breakfast I head back to my cabin and double check that my backpack is ready and organized. This is a very important step. I'll be out on the water all morning, so I need to make sure that I have absolutely everything I need. I brush my teeth and finish putting on all my layers.
My outfit for the morning includes; midweight base layer tights, midweight base layer top, fleece pants, fleece jacket, a down puffy jacket, waterproof sailing bib, (very) thick socks, bog boots, float coat, waterproof gloves, baseball cap with ear flaps, beanie (to put on top of the hat, great for warmth and keeping your hat from flying away while driving), sunglasses, and a neck gaiter. Phew! It takes a while to put it all on. I finish it all up by putting on sunscreen, stuffing hand warmers into my pockets, and sticking feet warmers to the base of my socks.
Getting on the Zodiac & preparing it
I meet up with my team in the zodiac embarkation area. Here, we receive final memos from the Expedition Leader. While we wait, zodiacs are lowered by a crane from the ship's top deck. I get on the gangway and board a zodiac driven by one of my colleagues. Her first duty this morning was "pilot ladder." She climbed down a rope ladder on the side of the ship to collect one of the first Zodiacs of the day. Now, she is responsible for shuttling the rest of the team to their boats. As soon as a Zodiac has been dropped on the water, and it's not reserved for anyone, I transfer over.
I start the engine and detach all the hooks that bind it to the crane then drive it a short distance away from the ship to begin my checks. I check that the safety equipment, paddle, boat hook, fire extinguisher, radar detector and extra kill cords are all accounted for. I also check that the fuel tanks are full, the pontoon's air valves are at the right setting, the kill cord works and the boat is running properly. I make a radio call to the bridge letting them know that everything is in order. After, I drive to the bow of the ship and record the GPS coordinates on my Garmin before I go and pick up guests.
Zodiac Cruise around Pléneau island
I love zodiac cruises, especially in Pléneau. This area is one of my favorite parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. It's commonly referred to as an "iceberg graveyard" because the waters around Pléneau Island are very shallow and trap the ice. What's absolutely bewildering is the size of these icebergs. They're massive. I spend the morning navigating through this maze of towering ice. Because each iceberg is so different, we spend time appreciating each one.
There's also a lot wildlife. We saw several minke whales, 3 leopard seals on ice, multiple groups of porpoising gentoo penguins, and over 50 crabeater seals (a group of 10 came to investigate my Zodiac). Throughout the cruise, I do some natural interpretation about what we see, and animal behavior. After the allotted hour is up, I head back to the ship. It's time for my second round of zodiac cruising. The guests I had on the first round disembark and new ones embark. I go out again for another hour (of pure bliss, might I add).
Once round two is over, my guests disembark and I get my zodiac ready for hoisting (I have to hook it back up to the crane to be lifted).
AFTERNOON
Polar Plunge
After I'm back onboard and in my cabin, I check the schedule for my polar plunge duty. Today, I am in charge of helping guests take pictures of their jumps. Polar Plunge days are always exciting. Today's plunge will be taking place from the ship's gangway. I also plan on jumping in today, so I get dressed appropriately. I spend about 45 minutes taking pictures and cheering everyone on. Eventually, it's time for any willing crew members to jump - and in I go! Yes, it's cold, but mostly it's exhilarating.
Lunch
After a hot shower, it's lunchtime. I eat quickly, run to the expedition office to check the schedule and then rest for 45 minutes. I take a 20 minute nap, and then start getting dressed in all of my layers again.
zodiac Shuttle to And From petermann island
We are spending the afternoon ashore at Petermann Island. This island has a colony of Gentoo and Adélie penguins. The plan is to set up short walks to both colonies. I am scheduled as a zodiac shuttle driver. This means that I transport guests to and from the shoreside. I enjoy zodiac driving, and water conditions are really nice so it's a lot of fun. The shuttle ride is only a few minutes long back and forth each way. Everyone is excited about seeing more penguins. When there are long breaks between shuttle rides, I raft up with my colleagues to chat.
interpretation & helping aShore
After a couple of hours, some of the zodiac drivers are swapped with the expedition staff ashore. I disembark my zodiac and check in with the Expedition Leader as to where I am most needed. I head to a section between the two colonies and watch the penguins go up and down their "penguin highways." During this time, I talk about penguin behavior with guests, and share my knowledge of Petermann Island's history. I also offer to take photos of the guests, and assist them if they need help through the slushy ice.
EVENING
Briefing
Eventually our time is up on the island, and we head back to the ship. I shower in record time and head immediately to the evening's briefing held by the Expedition Leader. Briefings are held every night, they cover the next day's schedule and activities and are a time for the guests to ask questions. Following the briefing, several of my colleagues give brief presentations about what we saw today.
Dinner
Tonight I am dining with guests in one of the ship's restaurants. Dinner is always an exciting way to get to know people and have deeper discussions about the experiences we are sharing in Antarctica. Also, it's dinner and a view. Tonight we saw breaching humpbacks from our dinner table.
Night
on deck, Sailing The Lemaire Channel
Following dinner, I grab my parka, camera and binoculars and head to the ship's outer decks. Tonight is special since we are sailing through one of the peninsula's most beautiful channels. I've included a very short snippet below. I talk with guests and colleagues on deck, and search for seals, penguins, whales and other wildlife. I've included a very short clip of the channel below.
rest, relaxation & Appreciation
It's about 10:15pm. I swing by the office to check tomorrow's schedule. We have a morning at sea followed by an afternoon ashore at Neko Harbour. Back in my cabin, I check the news, text my family, and then try to process the day's experiences. Tonight, I do this by flicking through the photos I took, and then writing a journal entry.
If you've had the privilege of visiting Antarctica, you'll know that the magnitude of the continent can be overwhelming. With constant 360 degree views of unparalleled beauty, and daily documentary worthy wildlife encounters it's difficult to digest it all in real-time. I find myself writing little notes, logging every little thing I can remember. I also find myself thinking about the same questions before I fall asleep. How can I contribute more to my expedition team? How can I use my platform more effectively for positive change? And, how can I help in the effort to better preserve and protect Antarctica? Ruminating on these, I fall deep asleep.
If you like this series, feel free to share it and tag me on social media. If there's a certain region you'd like me to write a "Day in the Life" about, comment down below.
IAATO
For anyone considering a trip to Antarctica, I highly encourage you to select a tour operator that is a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). IAATO is a member organization founded in 1991 to advocate and promote environmentally responsible travel to the Antarctic. Click here for more information.
Citizen Science
You can also contribute by becoming a Citizen Scientist! Check out this article, where I list a few of my favorite projects, and resources where you can find more. By volunteering your time and effort you can contribute to research that may inform policy changes.
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