2 C The Emperor Penguins in Antarctica

You have seen the amazing nature survival film "March of the Penguins". Now it’s time to see the amazing Emperor Penguins with your own eyes, just as the award-winning filmmakers saw them.

Quark Expeditions has invited me to join a few selected agents and our very special guests on a singular voyage to Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea off the Antarctica Peninsula.

A rookery of 4,000 pairs of Emperor penguins was located near Snow Hill Island in November 2004. In October 2006 we will make our first return to the rookery. This rookery is located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, reducing the duration of the voyage necessary to visit these remarkable creatures to only 14 days.

Click here for interactive Antarctica routing.

Because of the uniqueness of this voyage I can bring with me only eight guests. Though diving is not offered, this journey presents remarkable and distinctive opportunities for learning, exploration, interaction with nature, and spectacular topside photography.

Following the worldwide triumph of the movie "March of the Penguins", Quark Expeditions rapidly sold out the two originally-scheduled departures for November 2006. However, in response to continuing demand, a third and final cruise was added for October 8 to 21, 2006.

This earlier departure to Snow Hill Island is even better for photographers and nature enthusiasts, as it will offer expedition members the rare chance to see the Emperor Penguins as very young chicks. This was previously impossible unless visitors remained in Antarctica for the duration of the full winter, as the documentary film team was required to do.

To get to Snow Hill Island in the frozen Weddell Sea so early in the season, Quark has chartered the Kapitan Khlebnikov. This powerful Russian icebreaker is serviced by an experienced Russian crew and is equipped with two helicopters for landing in remote locations. At 400 feet long, it can comfortably accommodate 100 guests in double, well-appointed, heated cabins, each with an exterior view.

Dates: October 8 – 21, 2006
Cost: $11,995 per person double occupancy, plus 7% fuel charge
Registration & information: e-mail emperorpenguins@biganimals.com

If you know someone who would be interested in this expedition, you can email this link to them.

TO THE ISLANDS OF THE SHARKS: COCOS & MALPELO

with Dr. Sylvia Earle and Dr. Kathryn Sullivan- From May 17 – June 3 and May 21 – June 5, 2007. On board the Sea Hunter and Undersea Hunter.

Have you ever wanted to dive with sharks? Have you ever wanted to dive with hundreds and hundreds of sharks? Did you ever dream you could be in the company of a world-renowned shark expert and a famous astronaut?

From mid-May to early June, 2007, you can join me, Amos Nachoum, the ambassador for Big Animals; Dr. Sylvia Earle, a marine biologist; and Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, an astronaut, on an unprecedented expedition to the Islands of the Sharks.

We'll be going to Cocos, the legendary desert island of Robinson Crusoe, and remote Malpelo Island, 200 miles plus off Colombia in the Pacific ocean. We'll dive with never-ending schools of hammerhead sharks, perhaps the occasional whale shark, hundreds of white-tip sharks and bait balls, black tip sharks, silver tips, galapagos sharks and many others.

Dr. Sylvia Earle set the womens' depth record for solo diving at a thousand meters (3,300 feet), was named Time magazine's first "Hero for the Planet" in 1998, and is Explorer-in-Residence for the National Geographic Society. Dr. Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space on October 11, 1984, and is a veteran of three space shuttle missions. Sylvia and Kathryn will be diving and sharing their vast and amazing life experiences with us on a daily basis. They will also lead some of the evening presentations during our diving expedition. Amos will share his skills and coach you in BigAnimals photography and both expeditions will have the unique opportunity to dive to a maximum depth of 1500 feet using the new submarine which is carried on the boats we have chartered. Read More — Download the full article (PDF) .

Find out more about Undersea Hunter (PDF)

Expedition dates and prices:

1) May 17 – June 03, 2007. 15 days to Cocos and Malpelo with Dr. Earle and Amos Nachoum on board the Sea Hunter. 16 guests - $7,400 per person excluding airfare, hotels, submarine diving, and park fee.
Click here for trip itinerary and application

2) May 21 – June 05, 2007. 13 days exclusively to Cocos with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan and Jay Wade on board the Undersea Hunter. 12 guests - $6,400 per person excluding airfare, hotels, submarine diving, and park fee.
Click here for trip itinerary and application

If you know someone who would be interested in this expedition, you can email this link to them.