Quark expedition team member Simon Bottomley shares his diary reflections on his Antarctic season aboard the Ocean Diamond.
The Final Return
Tomorrow the Ocean Diamond will sail into Ushuaia for the last time this season, our penultimate voyage at its end.
It seems only fitting to celebrate yet another extraordinarily beautiful time in Antarctica with some of the images captured by our guests. Yet again we have been blessed with spectacular scenery and breathtaking wildlife. These photos can only touch on the wonders .
You can allow your imagination to transport you here, but no matter how vivid a picture you envision, it will never fully embrace the majesty that lies within.
Tonight, our final night, as a pink carpet is laid in our wake by the setting sun, what a time to reflect on our adventure together. In a couple of hours the Southern Cross will grace the heavens and with its display it will remind us of where we long to be.
Time seems a fleeting moment, but when we revisit each day since we left Ushuaia 9 days ago, through our Voyage Slide Show we are transported back to every magical memory.
One has to ask how it is possible for every voyage to delight beyond expectations. But that is Antarctica. If you have never explored the most untouched continent on our planet then you have never experienced the true wonder of nature.
Unpredictable, exquisite, immense in its magnitude, strength and determination. It will never be mastered and you always leave feeling humble and privileged to have touched the moment.
By: Simon Bottomley, Photography Guide
Coming from a fashion background, Photography has taken Simon to some of the most spectacular, but demanding, parts of the world. Working with adventure clothing brands in deserts and frozen places he discovered his passion for landscape and exploring light.
Simon presumes this is how he was invited on his first Arctic Expedition Voyage. Since then he's been fortunate to have made many trips to both the Arctic and Antarctic as well as capturing the Northern Lights in Norway.
Simon is never happier than when he's holding his camera and gazing into a landscape which many only get the opportunity to see in a Richard Attenborough series. His aim on every voyage is to inspire others to fall in love with their cameras, understand how much they can achieve, and explore the world around them.
Simon's other passion is diving with his underwater camera. It's so much fun when the seal pups are playing in the shallows!
