Oceanwide Cruise

Successful Voyages to Antarctica

Oceanwide Expeditions specializes in ship-based expeditions to the high Northern and Southern latitudes. Besides these Arctic and Antarctic destinations we also offer expeditions to several remote North and mid-Atlantic islands.

Oceanwide new expedition vessel “Plancius” has successfully completed two maiden voyages, one "polar wildlife cruise" to the Falklands, South Georgia, Antarctica and one "activity cruise" to the hot spots of High Antarctica.

The Artic

The Arctic, the land of the midnight sun, of snow and ice, offers some of the finest scenery and wildlife experiences in the world. Visitors to the region can witness enormous colonies of seabirds thronging the cliffs and shores, and enjoy the thrilling antics of whales at sea, and seals and walruses hauled out on rocks and ice-floes. The proximity of the pack-ice offers spectacular cruising between ice-floes. The lucky may even encounter the very symbol of the Arctic - the Polar Bear. The Arctic has had a major attractive force on navigators and explorers. Promises of fabled lands and fortune lured many 17th century explorers into these unknown frozen lands and seas. Many perished but some returned home with stories of hardship and despair, but also of amazing sea creatures such as "Seahorses" (walruses) and "huge fishes" (whales). The exploitation of animals such as walruses, whales, Arctic Foxes and Polar Bears became a major force behind the exploration of the Arctic in the last three centuries. Though still remote and sparsely populated today, native people have been living in the Arctic for many thousands of years and numerous prehistoric and historic sites are a testimony to the thriving cultures of the past.

Antarctica & Mid-Atlantic Islands

Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands are some of the last truly unspoilt regions of the world. The mysterious White Continent, with its multi-coloured ice caps, glistening glaciers and towering snow-capped mountains, offers unparalleled scenery and photographic opportunities. Enormous numbers of penguins, whales, seals and seabirds congregate in the food-rich waters along the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic shores. Our small, specially designed expedition ships journey south, taking full advantage of the long hours of daylight during the austral summer, their ice-strengthened hulls allowing us to navigate safely through the pack ice and narrow waterways. Our zodiac excursions, guided by foremost Antarctic experts, offer the freedom to explore remote locations and observe Antarctica's abundant wildlife.

Polar Diving Expeditions

In June 1997, a group of 24 scuba divers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and the United States joined us for a special expedition: Ice Diving in the Arctic waters of Spitsbergen. This successful exploration voyage was followed by an additional Arctic voyage in June 1998 and a new challenge in November of the same year: the very first commercial Antarctic diving expedition to the Falklands and the Antarctic. Our thorough knowledge of the Polar areas enabled us to develop voyages which combine nature cruises with diving expeditions. The procedure of the dive operation, the descriptions of the dive sites and the decisions about the period of time and itinerary is based upon many years of dive experience by Oceanwide Expeditions and professionals who have worked in the polar areas for research and filming.