Cruise Report

2020/6/23

Antarctica is sometimes called the “earth’s last frontier.” You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of snow and ice-covered land and icebergs, as well as calm and clear air. The transparent ice world and the rugged life of wild animals are a sight that can only be seen here. Join our editorial department on a journey to Antarctica through a number of immersive photographs by Mizumoto Shunya, a photographer who has been on many Peace Boat cruises and visited Antartica five times. Here, we introduce the beautiful faces and charms of the earth so they can be passed on to the future.

◆Photographer Mizumoto Shunya

Born in Tottori Prefecture., Mizumoto Shunya came to love the ocean after joining the Yacht club in high school. After working as a photographer for a cruise line he became freelance. Mizumoto joined Peace Boat for the first time in 2004, photographing many different countries around the world. He is a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS) and chair of its International Exchange Committee (since 2015).

To Antartica, Earth’s Last Frontier

The area of the Antarctic continent, centered on the South Pole, is about 13 million square kilometers – around 37 times the size of Japan. Most of the continent is covered with huge, thick ice, and the exposed black rocks can only be seen on part of the coast and near the tops of mountains. It is a very extreme land, reaching minus 80 degrees during the severe winter. Traveling to Antarctica sounds like an adventurous thing to do, and as a matter of fact human beings only first arrived here in the 19th century. Since then, only a limited number of people, such as heavily equipped explorers and observation teams, have been able to visit this area.

Ushuaia, the southernmost city of Argentina and the southernmost city on the South American continent, is the the gateway to travel to Antarctica. From here, it is a journey of about 1,000 km.

After going through one of the most difficult sea passages in the world, the Drake Passage, you will reach the South Shetland Islands, also known as the gateway to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Due to the accumulation of surveys and technological innovations, the general public can now also visit during the summer months.

When a giant iceberg appears, you will get the feeling that you have finally arrived to Antartica. The peculiar blue-color and natural forms are a beauty that cannot be expressed in words.

Untouched nature where the blue and white mix together

The highlight of an Antarctic trip is the beautiful sights and encounters with wildlife that can only be experienced here. Many different creatures such as penguins show a lively appearance, as well as seals lying down on ice and seabirds that freely fly in the sky. Deception Island, one of the South Shetland Islands, is a caldera island at the crater of an active submarine volcano. Even in Antartica, there are beaches where you can enjoy swimming, and hot springs that come from the sea floor. The fumes on the islands of Antarctica are a mysterious view that cannot be seen anywhere else.

The figure of a penguin standing in the steam. The geothermal heat of the island is also high due to the effect of the volcano, and the ground is exposed without being covered by snow.

The Zodiac boats used to land in Antarctica can also reach small islands and glaciers that large ships cannot.

The most popular animal to meet in Antarctica is the penguin. Walking freely on the ice and swimming as if it were flying – you will see a dynamism that you cannot be seen in a zoo.

You can even meet humpback whales in search of food in the Antarctic waters. The majestic figure that freely swims while raising the splash is full of vitality.