My polar stats
- Polar expeditions experienced: 25+
- Arctic activities tested: Kayaking, dog-sledding, snowmobiles
- Polar plunges braved: 10
- Began working in travel: 2016
Karl says
Take a moment, amidst all the excitement and adventure, to pause and remember where you are – at the very top of the world. Not long ago, only the most daring explorers set foot here. Breathe in the silence, feel the vastness of the wilderness, and let it sink in that you’re experiencing one of the planet’s last true frontiers.
Karl ONeill Arctic Sales Specialist
My top Arctic experiences
- Watching a bowhead whale at close range along the edge of the polar pack ice was incredible. It had been on my bucket list for years, and seeing that huge shape rise out of the water felt surreal. The sheer size and calmness of it left me speechless. I was so blown away I forgot to even take a picture!
- Deep in the pack ice, a young polar bear appeared in the distance and slowly made its way toward the ship. For a few moments, we were looking right at each other just a few metres away. It was powerful, humbling, and something I’ll never forget.
- At Camp Millar in Svalbard, two tiny Arctic fox cubs started fighting over a guillemot. They chased each other across the tundra, fast and full of energy, completely wrapped up in their own world, they barely noticed we were watching.
- A pod of around a hundred belugas surfaced all around my Zodiac in Hornsund, Svalbard vocalising as they passed. The water was alive with sound and movement. They seemed just as curious about us as we were about them, and for a few minutes it felt like we were part of the same world.
Polar bear with whale carcass
My Arctic photos
Curious Arctic Foxes at Alkefjellet, Svalbard
Polar bear on the pack ice in Svalbard
Walrus colony
Walrus haul-out with kittiwakes
Young polar bear on the pack ice in far north Svalbard
Bearded seal sleeping on ice in Fjortende Julibukta, Svalbard
Musk ox on the snowy tundra of the Bear Islands, Scoresbysund
Puffin swimming in Svalbard
Icebergs grounded at Hall Bredning at sunset
More about me
- Having worked on expedition vessels as a Polar Wildlife specialist, lectured on polar history and guided Northern Lights photography groups, and lived in arctic regions for around nine years, i'm still obsessed with the Arctic
- I'm a big reader, mostly non-fiction, always brushing up on history but also love to stretch my brain with some cutting-edge science
- After many years in the Great White North, I'm now settled in the South of England, where I still enjoy getting out for some birding or wildlife photography
Karl
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