An Antarctic adventurer paid to cruise the world has witnessed orca toy with their prey and baby penguins being amazed by snowflakes in the pristine winter wonderland.
John Chardine boarded the first Antarctic exhibition launched by iconic Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten 20 years ago this week, and continues to sail into the wintery wilderness with them today.
The avid explorer and photographer, who is based on Canada’s east coast, has a job many dream of not only in spending his time on the cruise ships seeing the world, but in teaching guests about the natural wonders around them.
While a veteran adventurer at 70-years-old, John is regularly overwhelmed by the sheer beauty he witnesses from the Hurtigruten ship.
For those who want to explore themselves, he has a few recommendations - especially if you want to see penguins.
"Spring is cool with fresh snow over the penguin colonies - everything is clear and white and you really get the sense of what the white continent is all about," he told the Mirror.
"At that time of year, penguins are getting prepared to lay eggs so there’s lots of displaying, mating and nest-building going on but of course you won’t see the adorable penguin chicks just yet.
"For that you have to come a bit later, as the chicks start to hatch in late December so there are lots in the colony by January and February.
"They are so great to watch, interacting with each other, pestering their parents for food and just being cute.
"At this time, much of the winter snow has started to melt down exposing the bare rocks and the colonies start to become less pristine and white.
"After Christmas is also a time when the whales arrive in Antarctica to feed on the abundant krill in the continental waters.
"This time of year through to March, the weather is a little warmer and crossing of the Drake Passage is a bit calmer."
On one occasion the fierce sideways Antarctic snow relented to be replaced by hefty white flakes which drifted to the ground "like little parachutes".
As he was observing a Gentoo penguin colony he noticed that many of the fattening chicks were looking up into the sky.
"I realised that many were looking up and their gaze was following individual snowflakes as they fell near them," John told The Mirror.
"Then I noticed one chick catching the snowflakes with its bill – drinking the tiny amount of fresh water from each flake.
"I was struck by how rare and short-lived an event like this must be, with just the right snow and just the right age of penguin chick, colliding in time and space with an observer, me. I felt very privileged to witness this."
Another animal encounter was equally as rare, but far more savage - or as John puts it, "very David Attenborough" - and in fact, a similar moment was captured and broadcast on Frozen Planet II.
As guests were eating supper a call came in to the exhibition leader from the ship's bridge that orca had been spotted, prompting everyone to down their cutlery and rush out to the deck.
There they could see a family of whales all about 50 meters away from the boat, preparing to hunt an adult crabeater seal resting on an ice floe.
"The male orca swam at great speed right towards the floe with the crabeater on it, then just at the last minute the male dived below the floe producing a huge wave two to three meters high, washing over the floe and taking the seal with it," John recalled.
"Some of us had heard of this technique before, and we did not expect to see the seal again – however, soon after being washed off, it reappeared on the floe.
"There was a lull in the proceedings but then we watched a male and female Orca spy hop close to each other – this is where they raise their heads out of the water to have a look around.
"They then proceeded to rush towards the floe in a highly coordinated manner and again wash the seal into the icy sea.
"By the end of the hour, we had lost count at about 40 times this event had happened, every time the seal reappearing, unscathed. However, the hunt did eventually come to an end in favour of the orcas."
John believes that the whales had been teaching their young how to hunt using the technique.
"If you ever needed convincing of the intelligence of creatures such as orcas, who inhabit and hunt in one of the most extreme and unyielding places on earth, a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this is transformative," the adventurer added.
20 years ago this month the expedition ship MS Nordnorge first sailed south from the Norwegian coast - where Hurtigruten was founded and has been operating Arctic expedition cruising since 1896.
During that time John has witnessed the frozen continent change dramatically.
"A big change I have noticed is perhaps an unexpected one. As the Antarctic Peninsula warms, the cool dry air can hold a little more moisture, which leads to heavier winter snowfalls," he said.
"When the penguins return to their colonies in spring, they may be sitting on three to four metres of hard-packed snow.
"Laying an egg on the unstable snow is a bad idea so they wait until they have bare ground to build the nest and lay their two eggs. The thicker snow cover means they have to wait longer to commence breeding, and this can delay the whole breeding season to a point where their chicks are not ready to leave before winter comes again next April.
"In recent years, I have seen Gentoo Penguins at Cuverville Island waiting for the snow to melt in mid-December – far too late for them to be successful breeders.
"Some of the internationally known scientists we host on board our ships are directly measuring the effects on climate change in Antarctica."
As the ravages of global heating become clearer and more attention is turned towards the emissions caused by cruises, Hurtigruten's bosses have looked at ways it can be greener.
The Norwegian company says it has invested nearly €100million (£88million) towards green upgrades that will be implemented before the end of summer 2023.
On its Antarctic cruises guests are invited to take part in first-hand climate-change science by measuring cloud cover – "a crucial but poorly-known variable in current climate models", according to John.
"We all have the common goal of literally changing the way our guests think about wild places – a change that we know they take home with them and become ambassadors of these unique places and the species that inhabit them," he added.
"This is absolutely needed, even in remote Antarctica, where the long reach of humans touches this continent - mainly in the form of the many threats caused by climate change."
For those who are eyeing up a holiday of a lifetime, the explorer highly recommends visiting the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, which "are spectacular".
"Our polar Class 6 ships MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, with their ice-strengthened hulls, can penetrate to the deep south, crossing the Antarctic Circle," he continued.
"It is a different world down there – icy, white, and unyielding – definitely worth considering. Our smaller ship MS Fram visits the island of South Georgia as well as the peninsula.
"It is impossible to exaggerate the beauty of South Georgia with its sharp peaks rising two to three thousand metres out of the South Atlantic Ocean, and the teeming wildlife includes millions of king penguins and fur seals.
"Though rarely scheduled, you may be lucky and explore the Weddell Sea side of the peninsula, which is another world again.
"Icier than the west side of the peninsula, this is your best bet to see the iconic emperor penguin and huge colonies of Adélie penguins."
Speaking on the significant birthday Asta Lassesen, Hurtigruten Expeditions CEO, expressed her hopes for the future of the company.
“As we look to the future it’s clearer than ever that sustainability must be at the heart of everything we do," she said.
"Our team are already rising to this challenge - from pioneering greener technology to partnering with more citizen science research projects and continuing to inspire action across the industry.
"We know that sustainable travel isn’t something we can do alone, we need everyone in our industry to work together for a greener future.”
