PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution join forces to bring science to the cruising world on a unique Antarctic adventure. This new voyage is designed as a living expression of WHOI’s scientific work, inviting travelers to move beyond the surface and explore Antarctica and its surrounding ocean as its true function — a system central to life on earth.

Planned by WHOI scientists and their research priorities, the 12-day journey allows travelers and scientists alike to discover and learn.

Unlearning the Familiar

Guests will see how little our understanding of the ocean really is.

Seeing the Reality

With daily briefings, deck-based observations and in-situ interpretation, guests will learn about the Southern Ocean as a planetary engine, and how Antarctica is linked to global weather, ecosystems and ocean circulation.

Discovery & Uncertainty

Don’t expect a polished journey because this voyage explores what science is still uncovering and gathering, seeking answers to questions and uncertainties.

Carrying it Forward

By the end, guests will see the ocean and the world differently for years to come.

The sailing also highlights three dimensions of WHOI’s work, including Ocean (Re)Introduction,  a framework for rethinking how we understand the ocean; Deep Exploration, in which discoveries made thousands of meters below the surface help scientists understand the Earth’s most remote and influential systems, also giving insights on ocean circulation, ice-ocean interactions and planetary changes at the poles; and Ice Life, where WHOI’s research unveiled ice is not inert but actually alive, supporting microscopic organisms that form the foundation of the Southern Ocean food web, including organisms such as algae-embedded in sea ice that support krill, penguins, seals and whales.

For more information on the sailing and PONANT EXPLORATION and WHOI’s partnership, click here.