The world is always changing, sometimes for the better, other times not. Knowing the areas of the Earth that will experience the quickest and most significant change from a photographic perspective will be the polar regions, I strategically visited Svalbard archipelago last June and Antarctica and South Georgia Island this January. They were both amazing trips and I am considering returning to each one, but Antarctica simply was a very incredible and special place.

I am typically not a fan of cruises because I have memories of the American TV show "Love Boat" and cruises in the 1970's and 1980's was being trapped on a ship with the same massive hoard of tourists and eating way too much. So I carefully selected what is called an expedition cruise. This is a fairly new concept where you have a planned itinerary but nothing is written in stone due to constantly changing weather and availability of wildlife. Basically the captain and the expedition leader decide where to go. Each evening the expedition leader would brief us in a very entertaining manner about the weather forecast, possible wildlife and geographical highlights and any other potential challenges we could face the following day. In order to be prepared, often times they prepare more than a only plan B and used other letters deeper into the alphabet.

To be clear, an Antarctica voyage is very special for many reasons and those vary from person to person. Immersing oneself in nature is always amazing but this is a very unique type of nature and knowing that most people won't be able to see it live and in person makes it feel even more special. After having time to reflect on what made the experience so special for me personally, I realized it was the snorkeling excursions that elevated an already incredible trip into something truly outstanding and unforgettable.

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While in Valencia, I imagined that I would be able to view never-to-be.seen-again images of icebergs underwater with light refracting all over the place and thought that would be really cool. And it was. But I never imagined that I would be able to capture an image of a penguin swimming past an iceberg or have a curious fur seal approach me and "kiss" the dome of my camera housing. The seal was probably smelling it but it's more fun to think of it as a kiss - you can see for yourself below:

Let's talk about the logistics of snorkeling in ocean water that is between 0 and 6 degrees C. I remember walking down the hallway towards the mudroom of the ship thinking "Is it really a good idea to do this?" Once I was in the water, I never thought about it again.

I am very happy to report that I was was never cold while snorkeling because I was dressed properly. I did extensive research about polar snorkeling and learned that the parts of the body that got cold first were the hands and feet. While in New York a month before the trip, I saw some rechargeable USB hand warmers that could fit inside my snorkel gloves so I bought them. Then I went online to look for some small and thick waterproof ziplock bags to protect the warmers from the wildly corrosive salt water. I doubled-bagged each one and my hands were toasty-warm. When I climbed back in the zodiac after my first dive, one of the warmers was visibly wet. That one died a quick, salty death and the other one later died aboard the ship. Fortunately, it was a set of four and I pivoted to use the warmers only after I dove on the way back to the ship and this was a success.

Next, there was the potential problem of my feet getting cold. Spain is well known for its quality Merino wool and so I bought some thick Spanish socks to wear. Since the secret to staying warm and dry is about layers, I also bought a thin pair of Merino wool socks. Lastly, I purchase a set of 4th Dimension insulating dive clothing which included a pair of socks and these three layers slipped inside the thick diving boots on which my fins would fit, thus completing my feet warming preparation.

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Next came the base layers. I began with another Merino wool top and bottom, then a 4th dimension insulating top and bottom (and socks). On top of this I donned a synthetic compression top, then finally a Sharkskin Titanium 2 wetsuit for more insulation and additional core warmth.

Now that my body was prepared, I had to do the same for my other body - my camera body. This had to be loaded into the housing, locking the latches on the back to insure waterproofness and then attach the 14-24mm lens. Once I verified that it was securely attached, I then mounted the special acrylic lens dome. This dome is large and round, enabling me to capture the coveted "over and under" images where you can see both above and below the surface. Once this was all set, normally about a 30 minute process for both clothing and camera prep, I left my cabin and headed to the mudroom where the finishing touches to my wardrobe were to be completed.

Prior to this trip, I had never worn a drysuit. Already feeling a bit like the Michelin man, I slipped my legs into the suit and pulled it up. Now comes the "fun" part. In order to keep the water out of the dry suit (hence the adjective "dry") there was a rubber membrane that was to fit snugly around the neck. Laura, one of my snorkel buddies (snorkies) remarked that putting your head through the membrane was a bit like being born again. Once I was "born again" and the membrane was situated snugly below the Adams apple, I carefully zipped up the suit and prepare myself to board the zodiac.

All together, I needed to begin the process about one hour prior to the "go time", including an allotment of about 10 minutes of extra time for whatever might be unexpected.

Prior to this trip, I had never worn a drysuit. Already feeling a bit like the Michelin man, I slipped my legs into the suit and pulled it up. Now comes the "fun" part. In order to keep the water out of the drysuit (hence the adjective "dry") there was a rubber membrane that was to fit snugly around the neck. Laura, one of my snorkel buddies (snorkies) remarked that putting your head through the membrane was a bit like being born again. Once a was "born again and the membrane was situated snugly below the Adams apple, I zipped up the suit and prepare myself to board the zodiac.

All in, I needed to begin the process one hour prior to the "go time" allowing myself 10 minutes of extra time for whatever might be unexpected.

After each snorkel excursion, about 2 and 3 hours from getting in and getting out of the zodiac, I would carefully remove the dry suit, gloves, fins, boots and 10mm neoprene dive hood and hang it to dry in the ship's mudroom hoping in vain the it would be completely dry for the afternoon session. Next, I would return to my cabin with my camera housing and start taking everything else off to hang that up on the portable clotheslines that I brought with me. As it turns out, dry suits are not always 100% dry. Furthermore, I had to rinse the camera housing along with my mask and snorkel in the shower, set that out to dry and then I would enjoy a hot shower. About 45 minutes later, I was warm, dry, and laying in bed downloading my images like a kid in a candy store.

Typically the remainder of the routine was that I had a rest before lunch then some time after that to view/edit some images, perhaps a quick nap and then do it all again for the afternoon session. Keep in mind that sometimes we had only one session per day and sometimes no snorkel trip at all - only a zodiac cruise because of the weather and/or sea conditions. In any event, I was in bed by about 10:30 each night feeling tired and fulfilled.

Once you are several days into a 21 day voyage, apart from the days at sea, it becomes unclear as to where exactly you have been. Fortunately, I took a picture of the daily expedition log for reference and you can see that below:

Unsurprisingly, each Snorkie Team Alpha member had their own priorities once in the water. For me, I normally started looking for interesting compositions involving brash ice or small icebergs affected in some way by light. I was told that it was dangerous to approach large icebergs because they can turn over. Reluctantly, i obeyed this half thinking that this was advice from over cautious lawyers from the cruise line - until I saw a massive iceberg turn over. On that day, I was enjoying a photography hike before we went in the water and saw a big one flip over. Lesson learned, the easy way this time.

During one of the on board lectures, I learned that Penguins can reach speeds of 35 km/h while swimming so that explains why it was very difficult to get an good image of one. I also learned that in underwater photography, you need to be very close to your subject to obtain a quality image. One afternoon I was contently shooting the underwater side of a cool iceberg and was excited to see the images. It wasn't until I was showered and reviewing the days images that I saw that I had captured images of a penguin swimming behind the iceberg! Have a look for yourself below:

Every artist’s journey is shaped by twists, turns, refinements, and evolutions as we search for our own unique artistic identity. After this voyage, I know with certainty that underwater photography will always remain part of my artistic repertoire. There is a remarkable sense of calm and peace beneath the surface. Perhaps it comes from the simplicity of the soundscape—you hear only your own breathing, the subtle sounds of nature, and occasionally the distant traces of the human world. In many ways, it is a meditative pursuit. It reminds me of my experience in a photography hide, waiting alone eleven hours a day for an Iberian lynx to quietly pass by.

Fulfilling a childhood dream feels like a rare victory. Against all the turns of life, I found my way well enough to make it real. That alone leaves me fulfilled and very humbled. Admittedly, I find it difficult to put these emotions into words. What I experienced were moments with nature and wildlife that felt deeply personal and entirely unique. They filled me with joy, gratitude, and a profound respect for the natural world. These memories—and the images that came from them—will forever nourish my soul and continue to make me smile.

Mission accomplished.