The “Ocean Diamond” is run by Quark Expeditions (www.quarkexpeditions.com).  The ship is 124 meters long and has a 1D ice class. This means that while it is not an ice breaker it can handle sailing around and through some of the seasonal pack ice we are sure to encounter around Antarctica. I have never been on the ship before, but based on its specs (www.quarkexpeditions.com/our-ships/ocean-diamond) it looks like a very comfortable ship. As a scientist I am used to working on research vessels which are often short on creature comforts. The Ocean Diamonds will be a great place to come back to after spending the day collecting data in the field. We head out in a couple hours so I will likely not be able to post on the blog for a couple days until I get my shipboard email account sorted. Next stop the Falkland Islands. More to come!

Ship schedule