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2019 Highlights: 40 Photos from a Prime Polar Year

by Oceanwide Expeditions Blog

Regions: Antarctica, Arctic

2019: A year of polar adventures photos

If you overhear someone say, "It's been a good year," they're probably a farmer or financier or maybe even a wine producer.

But we think polar tour operator should be added to that list, because 2019 was one of Oceanwide's best years for many reasons: Our new ship Hondius set out on its first polar voyage, and for the third year in a row we flew passengers to the rarely visited emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill Island.

Not a bad vintage, if we do say so ourselves.

So we decided to throw together a few photos from the 2019 expedition calendar. Not every great photo taken that year could be included, of course, but we selected a balance of scenes we felt were representative of the last twelve months - one from every trip log.

We hope you enjoy them, and may you share many more with us in 2020.

1. Cuverville kayaking (OTL25-19)

Image by Tanja Bayer

2. Curious orca, social seals (OTL26-19)

Image by Werner Kruse

3. Spigot Peak scenery (OTL27-19)

Image by Mal Haskins

4. Whale fluke on the Drake (PLA26-19)

Image by Regis Perdriat

5. Domestic dispute (OTL30-19)

6. Camping with a view (PLA27-19)

7. Antarctic outing (PLA28-19)

8. School of kings (OTL31-19)

Image by Pippa Low

9. Taking the plunge (PLA29-19)

10. Leopard in the limelight (OTL32-19)

Image by Pippa Low

11. Neko Harbor vistas (PLA30-19)

12. Iceberg peephole (OTL33-19)

13. Visitor from below (PLA31-19)

14. Kittiwakes over the icepack (PLA04-19)

15. Polar bear on the prowl (PLA05-19)

16. Positively glacial (PLA06-19)

17. Puffin puffing up (HDS03-19)

18. Zodiac among the bergs (HDS04-19)

Image by Tobias Brehm

19. Can I help you? (PLA07-19)

Image by Melissa Scott

20. Reticent reindeer (HDS05-19)

Image by Meike Sjoer

21. Surfacing harp seals (HDS06-19)

Image by Melissa Scott

22. The lay of Lilliehook (PLA 09-19)

23. Clever like an Arctic fox (HDS07-19)

24. Hot chocolate the polar way (HDS08-19)

Image by Meike Sjoer

25. Dinner (HDS09-19)

26. Dessert (PLA14-19)

27. Scatters of Spitsbergen (HDS11-19)

Image by Pippa Low

28. Scanning for seals (PLA15-19)

29. Great peaks of Greenland (PLA16-19)

30. Eyeing the ice formations (HDS15-19)

Image by Sandra Petrowitz

31. Jabot Peak panorama (OTL-21-19)

Image by Jonny Baird

32. Otherworldly Antarctica (PLA22-19)

Image by Daniel Hoehne

33. One happy family (OTL22-19)

Image by Pippa Low

34. Energetic Adélies (PLA23-19) 

35. Quintessential Zodiac cruising (PLA24-19) 

36. Band of blue-eyed shags (HDS23-19)

37. Campsite scenery (OTL24-19)

38. Huffing humpback (HDS24-19)

Image by Neill Drake

39. Shipload of happiness (HDS25-19)

Image by Neill Drake

40. En route to the polar regions (PLA25-19)

Title image by Ian Rudkin

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