Travelers can now discover the European Arctic’s underwater world as Aurora Expeditions introduces Polar Snorkeling to their small-ship cruises to Spitsbergen and Greenland in 2016. The new optional activity will allow travelers to enjoy a ‘full concept’ Arctic experience, exploring new sites above and below the water.
Designed for the more adventurous traveler, Polar Snorkeling is a unique activity that offers the chance to discover what lies beneath the icy Arctic waters. From sea anemones and sea urchins to nudibranchs, crabs and the occasional polar cod, snorkelers will witness the surprisingly colorful marine life of the Arctic.
Perhaps the greatest highlight for any Polar Snorkeler is the opportunity to get up close to the glistening ice. Snorkellers will enjoy swimming at the edge of the Arctic pack ice, as well as enjoy the fascinating ice formations that exist below the surface.
And the best thing? Snorkelers don’t need any scuba diving experience to jump in! The Polar Snorkeling option is available to anyone with some basic snorkeling experience, and to whoever is brave enough to push the boundaries to discover a new way of enjoying the underwater world of the Arctic’s oceans.
Polar Snorkeling is offered as part of Aurora Expeditions’ wider Polar Dive program, operated by long-term partner and cold-water diving and snorkeling specialists, Waterproof Expeditions. Polar Diving offers experienced dry suit divers the chance to discover a new destination topside as well as underwater.
Waterproof Expeditions provides all polar snorkel equipment on board, including a state-of-the-art Waterproof© D9 Snorkel Dry Suit – designed for polar snorkeling – as well as hood, gloves, boots and a full snorkel set including fins, mask and snorkel.
Operated under a set of strict safety guidelines, Waterproof’s team of experienced dive guides have over 20 years’ polar diving experience and provide snorkelers and divers with detailed briefings and best practice procedures to ensure a safe snorkeling and diving experience.
Polar Snorkeling and Diving is not for the faint-hearted, but those with a love for exploration and spirit of adventure will delight in being one of the first to enjoy some of our planet’s most unexplored waters.
Polar Snorkeling is an optional activity available across a selection of Aurora Expeditions’ 2016 and 2017 Arctic and Antarctic voyages, operated in conjunction with diving partners Waterproof Expeditions. Aurora Expeditions’ Arctic voyages depart July through September. Prices start from AU$6,380 per person, with Polar Snorkeling and Diving starting from US$975 per person.
Aurora Expeditions and Waterproof Expeditions were the first operators to launch Polar Snorkeling in Antarctica in 2013, and now also offer the activity in the European Arctic.
