Paddle a double sea kayak through the Lemaire Channel — the most breathtaking passage in Antarctica — at water level, surrounded by 800-metre cliffs of glacial ice and silence broken only by your blade and calving seracs.
What to expect
Kitted out in a dry suit, spray skirt, and personal flotation device at the ship's stern platform, you lower yourself into a stable sea kayak and begin paddling through glassy black water between walls of ancient blue ice. The scale is incomprehensible until a house-sized iceberg drifts silently past your bow. Guides position the group to observe a crabeater seal hauled out on a bergy bit just metres away. The two-hour session ends with a warm drink on deck, your arms pleasantly spent and your perspective permanently altered.
Good to know
Must pre-book as an add-on before embarkation — spaces fill within days of release. Basic paddling experience recommended but not required; dry suit fitting occurs the evening before. Trips may be cancelled due to weather; Aurora typically offers multiple opportunities per voyage.