Loading up!The invention of the zodiac is a game changer for expedition travel. Not only are they quick little boats; they are light, fairly easy to maneuver and large enough to hold at least 10 people. They have become the best way to travel between ship and shore as well as for quick cruises around the polar region.
Getting in and out of a zodiac can be quite tricky, especially in extreme weather. Fortunately, you will always be helped in the boat by two wrist holds from the staff. By grabbing each other’s wrist, the chance of slipping into the water is virtually impossible as you are holding onto the arm of a person rather than just the hand. If your hand slips, the other is holding tight.
This is very useful when the waves or weather are less than desirable. We experienced a few wavy days and the up/down of the zodiac created a tricky balance sequence to handle. By having the secure grabs of staff on the ship, we were able to embark/disembark the zodiacs with ease.
It may seem overkill and silly to need to be so conscious of getting on and off a boat but it is truly important for safety and comfort. Even for those of us that have a lot of experience in boats, you’ll make your zodiac driver SO happy if you show everyone else the proper way to load a zodiac. I wouldn’t want to take a swim in the water before a cruise. That is what the polar plunge is for!
Wet landings are a common occurrence for travel to the Arctic. Regardless of the weather, most shore landings outside of a community visit will be done on a beach. The waves can crash over the zodiac or roll lazily up and down the coast. Most boats will have a nice little step to grab your boots before you touch down on the shoreline. I seldom was covered in water past my ankle and thankful for the steps on the windier days.
There is also a very elegant slide involved in disembarking a zodiac from shore. Imagine sliding on a rubber tube, add a small twirl to the outside of the boat as you swing your legs over the zodiac to then gracefully land on the step to head off to land. It is my favorite way to get out of a zodiac. Awkward and classy all together.
To help expedite getting all 130 of us on shore, we were broken into six color groups: White, Green, Yellow, Red, Blue and Orange. The order of these groups changed each day so that everyone had a chance to be the first one out/last one in.
As each group was called, the next would be placed on standby. I thought this was a great way of shuttling us off and on the ship. Our cabin TVs were also great as they had the disembarkation schedule on our TV so that we knew how long we had to get ready before our turn was up. As our time came, we’d trek down to the mudroom, put on our life jackets and boots and load into the zodiacs for our adventure on the water.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
4 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
5 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.