The ice in Antarctica can not be trusted. It tries to seduce you with its amazing shapes, subtle tones, and ultimate wildness, making you want to go in there with a zodiac and explore. And weak as we were, that’s exactly what we did.
To see skyscraper sized icebergs from aboard a zodiac is pretty incredible. And if you get the perfect conditions, it looks even more impressive. Big ice, gloomy skies and the dark Antarctic waters are very effective aphrodisiac for any photographer.
But you have to be careful – the current can suddenly change and all the ice can be pushed into one direction, yours for instance. That what happened with us. One moment we were photographing the giant icebergs reflecting in the black water, the next we were slowly being surrounded by sea ice that came from all directions and got denser by the minute.
The nightmare scenario is obviously that you’re gonna get trapped and can no longer move the zodiac. Our ship could of course rescue us, but that really depends on where the zodiac is and whether the water is deep enough for the ship. Luckily, the zodiac drivers are all very experienced, and we managed to get back to the ship safely, but you can imagine how those first explorers must have struggled in situations like this.
It was a great experience and it made for some excellent photography. Everything handheld of course.
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If you’re interested in joining us later this year on our Antarctica photo tour, please check out my website for more pictures, a tour impression video clip, and a detailed PDF:
Squiver Photo Tours & Workshops
Hope to see you there!
Marsel
©2015 Marsel van Oosten, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
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