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Antarctic Dreams

By: Max Seigal

By KAVU

February 14^th, 2023

Antarctica is one of the most incredible places on the planet.

It's wild, unpredictable, unforgiving, and breathtakingly beautiful. As an expedition guide, I have the great fortune of spending entire seasons in Antarctica and watching the changes in ice and wildlife from the snowy beginnings, when there are baby penguins covering the beaches, all the way to late fall when most of the snow has melted and the animals are bulking up before the long winter.

There are some days just like many others.... where you plan an outing or activity and everything goes to plan. Then, there are those where something completely unexpected happens and your entire world flips upside down. This could be anything from the powerful weather systems that roll through with 70 knot winds that pick up in an instant, or perhaps a more pleasant surprise like a pod of whales who come to visit your zodiac when you least expect it and spend an hour swimming by your side.

Antarctica is a place where I've been lucky to form unforgettable memories. The sight of 50,000 penguins scattered along the beaches as far as the eye can see.... is something I will never forget. Or the smell of 50,000 penguins for that matter.....

The beautiful encounters with wildlife, like the baby seals that try to come up and lay on your feet because they are desperate to snuggle with anything that moves. Or watching three-thousand-pound adult elephant seals fighting on the beach; a show of pure muscle, agility, and just plain awkwardness.

These are the moments that you will never experience anywhere else on the planet. The sights, smells, and interactions that only happen here, on the bottom of our planet, surrounded by ice and snow and water.

Antarctica is an addicting place. Once you go, it stays with you forever and you always long to go back. It doesn't come easy - you have to cross one of the most treacherous oceans in the world to access its shores (the infamous Drake Passage) but for those souls who are willing to brave the unpredictable Drake, you are rewarded beyond imagination with.....

one of the most incredible experiences this planet has to offer.

This year, I will be guiding early season and late season, with a two month break in January and February. All the shots you see are from the beginning of the season (Oct - Dec) as winter recedes and warmer spring temps arrive.

I am beyond excited to return next month for the late summer trips, to see all the changes, and to jump right back into the zodiac to find wildlife, ice, snow and some of the most stunning landscapes on earth.

Max Seigal Photography (Maxwilderness)

Max KAVU

Footnotes

Max is a long-time KAVU'er to the core, on our lifestyler team and one of the best photographers and story tellers we know. Give him a follow for more inspiring adventures.

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FootNotes

Max is a long-time KAVU'er to the core, on our lifestyler team and one of the best photographers and story tellers we know. Give him a follow for more inspiring adventures.

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