Updated October 1, 2022
This is the twenty-fourth in a series that introduces and describes the various dive services and sites for worldwide liveaboard dive safaris. The focus in this one is on Arctic and Antarctic liveaboards.
In addition to this series on liveaboards, the best worldwide dive resort locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or other liveaboards, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title.
Have you ever been diving in Antarctica or the Arctic before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.
Scuba Diving Antarctica and the Arctic
On these cruises, the vast majority of guests are not diving. There is a strong emphasis on sightseeing and lots of shore time with wildlife.
In the Antarctic there is some soft climbing of mountains, kayaking the shorelines, and encounters with Gentoo and emperor penguins, orcas, sea lions, and leopard seals hunting.
In the Arctic, there is hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, and encounters with polar bears, reindeer, and humpback whales. The Aurora Borealis may also appear.
Diving is from tenders or shore and is shallow, to 60 feet (18 meters) only. Divers should bring their own equipment, including a drysuit, and have previous experience using it in cold water. The aim is for 1-2 dives per day, based on conditions.
For some advice and information about gear for cold water diving, please check out these popular reviews:
- Best Cold Water Diving Equipment
- Best Scuba Drysuits Buying Guide
- Top 10 Scuba Drysuits Compared and Reviewed
- Best Women’s Scuba Diving Drysuits
- Best Drysuit Undergarments
- Best Scuba Dive Boots
- Best Scuba Diving Gloves
- Best 8 Scuba Diving Hoods
In the Antarctic, many of the creatures seen from the boat or on land (ice) also highlight the underwater experience – penguins, leopard seals, sea lions, and orcas. There are also kelp walls, sea snails, starfish, and giant isopods, among many others.
In the Arctic, diving highlights include sea lions, lobsters, crabs, sea hedgehogs (urchins), ice formations, and wrecks.
The Arctic and Antarctic Liveaboard Dive Boats
The two ships cruising the Arctic and Antarctic waters are large and designed to handle the cold and icy conditions. They do a significant number of sightseeing trips configured with differing stops and destinations. Some of these tours also include scuba diving, but most of the guests will be watching or participating in other activities while the divers do their thing.
MV Ortelius
- Dives the Arctic and Antarctic regions
- Antarctic expeditions include diving in March
- Antarctic itineraries to the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, South Shetlands, Ushuaia
- Arctic diving expeditions include diving from June through August
- Arctic itineraries to Spitsbergen and East Greenland for diving
- Laundry service, daily housekeeping, audio & video entertainment, library, TV in cabins, air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, sun deck, paid internet, en-suite bathrooms, observation deck, western food
- English speaking crew
- Dives to depths of 30-60 feet (9-18 meters)
- 1-2 dives per day based on conditions
- Coldwater and dry suit experience is a prerequisite
- Snorkelers and non-divers welcome
- Experienced and qualified dive crew
- Tenders for diving
- Emergency life rafts
Check out Antarctic tours on Liveaboard.com
Check out Arctic tours on Liveaboard.com
MV Plancius
- Dives the Arctic and Antarctic regions
- Antarctic expeditions include diving from June through March
- Antarctic itineraries to the Antarctic Peninsula, Base Camp Cruises, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Shetlands, Ushuaia
- Arctic diving expeditions include diving from May through September
- Arctic itineraries include Aurora Borealis, Northern lights cruise Iceland, Spitsbergen
- Laundry service, daily housekeeping, audio & video entertainment, library, TV in cabins, air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, sun deck, indoor saloon, paid internet, en-suite bathrooms, observation deck, western food
- English speaking crew
- 24 diver limit on Antarctic cruises
- Dives to depths of 30-60 feet (9-18 meters)
- 1-2 dives per day based on conditions
- Coldwater and dry suit experience a prerequisite
- Snorkelers and non-divers welcome
- Experienced and qualified dive crew
- Tenders for diving – 10 Mark V zodiacs
- Emergency rafts
Check out Antarctic tours on Liveaboard.com
Check out Arctic tours on Liveaboard.com
The Arctic and Antarctic Liveaboard Dive Boat Comparison Table
| MV Ortelius | MV Plancius |
|
|---|---|---|
 |  |
|
| Length | 91 m | 89 m |
| Guests | 116 | 116 |
| Crew | 52 | 47 |
| Equipment | Provide Your Own | Provide Your Own |
| Nitrox | No | No |
| Snorkeling | Yes | Yes |
| Price/Day Antarctica | $532 | $451 |
| Price/Day the Arctic | $412 | $208 |
Arctic and Antarctic Photos
With the ice and extremely cold water environment, macro life, beautiful, diverse reef, seals, penguins, megafauna, and lots of fish, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of diving cameras, click here:
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on Arctic and Antarctic scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
Another wonderful article I just love your style of writing. As a photographer and someone who only snorkels this is yet another one on my bucket list. This article is also bookmarked. 🙂 You did mention the Aurora Borealis which I would love to see in person and photograph. Do you know the best time would be to catch it on one of these liveaboard tours?
Hi Cathy,
Thanks again for your support and kind comments.
The Aurora Borealis lights happen throughout the year, but the key factor is darkness. During the winter months with the longest nights of the year, there are more extended periods of deep darkness. The cruises to the Arctic are from May through September as most of what people will want to do will be better when it is light and not as cold. Early May and late September would be the best times to catch the lights on the MV Plancius liveaboard schedule. I hope you get a chance to go see them and all the other unusual sights, at some point.
If you have any other comments or questions, please let me know.
Best regards,
Joe
Awesome pictures and great options for places to vacation. I was expecting to only be given scuba diving options, but was pleasantly surprised to find out about several other opportunities like hiking and kayaking as well. Not being a scuba diver myself, but having friends and family who enjoy scuba diving, it is great to learn of so many beautiful places to visit that just aren’t instantly thought of without someone like you who did the research for us…so thank you so much for that 🙂
Hi MissChriss,
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your kind comments.
Actually these liveaboards are designed for non-divers to have a chance to get right in the middle of the Arctic wildlife and environment. They have added the option for divers on some of the trips as a sort of extra service. It would be a great cruise for mixed groups of divers and non-divers like families. There is something for everyone including hiking, soft mountain climbing, snorkeling, kayaking and boat tours right up to the wildlife in zodiacs or small tender boats. The MV Plancius tours of Antarctica are even pretty reasonably priced at $137/day.
If you have any other questions or comments about this tour or anything related to scuba diving and resort travel, please let me know.
Best regards,
Joe
Hi Joe,
What a great article! Going deep under the sea is always wonderful to see miracle. Your photos and clips make me feel fresh and want to go diving. I and my partner have been diving but we’ve never taken any camera deep down the sea. But we decided to grab one so we can get many stunning photos and videos. Could you lend me a hand take a look at this site and suggest which one we should try it? http://www.pirt.org/best-travel-camera/
Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi Emma,
Thanks for your kind comments.
The web page you ask about is regarding travel cameras and not specifically cameras for underwater use. I wrote a review of underwater cameras on my website. The address is https://myscubadivinggearguide.com/best-underwater-dive-cameras-compared-and-reviewed. It is in the underwater photography category. I review 8 cameras that are all excellent, from the bottom of the price range to the top. I suggest you go there where each is described in detail to help you decide which to buy.
After checking out this page, if you have any questions, please let me know. I hope this is of help to you.
Best regards,
Joe
That’s very kind of you, Joe.
I’m sure it will be very useful for us. Let me study your review. If there are some questions, I would like to come back to you.
Thank you very much.
Thanks, Emma. I’d love to see you get started taking some underwater photos and video.
Good luck!
Joe