Kayak Antarctica: A Self-Guided Safari Through Ice and Wildlife
- Ruth Bergman
- Mar 19
- 13 min read
Updated: Mar 25
Self-Guided by Circumstance: The Kayak Expedition That Took a Turn
When we planned our kayak trip to Antarctica, the trip was a collaboration between Icebird Expeditions and Jeff Allen, a renowned kayak adventurer and instructor for kayak guides. It was written up on Jeff Allen's site at the time as an expedition for advanced kayakers only with a spirit for adventure.
As the departure date approached and we still hadn’t received any paddling-specific information, we reached out to Jeff directly. That’s when we learned that he was unable to join the expedition due to personal reasons. About a week later, Icebird Expeditions informed us that another kayak guide would be joining. We were doubly relieved—first, to have a guide at all, and second, because it was Piotr, whom we had kayaked with in Iceland.
Unfortunately, a series of delays in Ushuaia (see my Antarctica itinerary post) and poor communication from Icebird Expeditions led to Piotr’s decision to leave the expedition. At that point, we had to do some serious soul-searching. The owner and captain of Icebird assured us that we could still have a kayak-focused expedition and that the crew would support us. The captain was an experienced seafarer, well-versed in assessing sea conditions—wind, waves, and currents. However, we would have to paddle without a dedicated kayak guide.
Ultimately, what drove my decision to continue was the belief that, even without a guide, we would see and do more kayaking than on any alternative Antarctic expedition. In hindsight, that assessment proved to be accurate.
Once in Antarctica, after a couple of paddle days, it became clear that we had two distinct groups of kayakers, divided by both skill level and interest. That’s when our group, the more experienced paddlers, became self-guided. Each day, we held a briefing with the ship’s captain, reviewing maps, directions, and conditions. We carried a VHF radio, an emergency locator beacon, a couple of flares, and, after a few days, an iSailor app loaded with Antarctic charts. And with that, we were off.
Looking back, I have no regrets about our decision to continue. Our kayak experiences in Antarctica were nothing short of magical—otherworldly, breathtaking, and beyond compare to anywhere else I’ve paddled. I presume the original trip, with Jeff Allen, would have been a different adventure. As it was, the absence of a guide didn’t diminish the adventure; if anything, it made our connection with the raw, untamed beauty of Antarctica even more profound.
Commenti