About Me
“I have a job, I explore.” The Hundredth Meridian – Tragically Hip
Growing up in Victoria, British Columbia, I became fascinated with the ocean and all its creatures at an early age. My grade three teacher memorably taught our class about whales, and it was game over for me from then on. Working with marine mammals started for me as a deck hand aboard a whale watching vessel working the waters around the southern end of Vancouver Island.
The following seasons the whales returned and so did I. That season I became a certified zodiac skipper and began operating my own tours to see the marine wildlife inhabiting the waters surrounding Victoria. June 2006 approaching my eighth season with the Southern Resident Orca of Vancouver Island, I certified as a Master Limited and became Captain of the M/V Ocean Magic. I captained the Ocean Magic’s inaugural season with Prince of Whales Whale Watching Vancouver to Victoria Whale Cruises. This trip encompassed an unprecedented area from Vancouver’s Coal Harbour to Victoria’s Inner Harbour, and all the water-ways in-between. This wonderful season was shared with my fiancé/first mate, Jill Baxter.
My first voyages to Antarctica began in 2003 as a zodiac driver aboard the Russian ship, M/V Orlova, with Quark Expeditions. Quark charters multiple small ships to explore the polar regions of the world. The moment I saw Antarctica, the worlds last great wilderness, I fell in love.
Since 2003 I have worked with Quark as a Marine Biology Lecturer, Sea Kayak Guide, Camping Master, Logistics, and as Expedition Leader aboard the M/V Akademik Shokalskiy. This past season, while working with my partner Jill Baxter and countless other amazing people and personalities, I helped set up our company’s newest ship the M/V Ocean Nova for expedition travel. I have lead trips as Expedition Leader with activities including sea kayaking, ice camping, ice climbing, and back-country skiing . . . all within the icy world of the Antarctic Peninsula!
Summer 2007 we worked for Quark aboard the Russian I/B Kapitan Khlebnikov, travelling to some of the most remote and isolated corners of the Arctic. The ship’s capabilities paired with the areas traveled made for an impressive itinerary unseen by more than a handful of people. The scale of the Arctic left all on board in awe and bewildered that this huge area of frozen land and sea could be in jeopardy of disappearing as we know it.
November 2007 we depart to Ushuaia, Argentina and another round of smelly penguin rookeries, rude mannered seals, migrating whales and mountain upon mountain of ice and snow. There is nowhere else I would rather be from November to March – Antarctica’s summer!
“To anyone who goes to the Antarctic, there is a tremendous appeal, an unparalleled combination of grandeur, beauty, vastness, loneliness, and malevolence – all of which sound terribly melodramatic – but which truthfully convey the actual feeling of Antarctica. Where else in the world are all of these descriptors really true?“
- Capatin T.L.M. Sunter
Please watch my blog for updates on our season in the Antarctic. If you would like reminders of new blog postings please email me at: brandon@explorewildcoasts.ca
What I shoot - Brandon Harvey shoots with a Canon 20D SLR, 100-400IS L series lens, 10-20 DSLR lens, 17-55 DSLR lens. I also use an Olympus 770 SW waterproof digital camera (because some days are just too ugly for anything else!)
Links:
Prince of Whales Whale Watching
Quark Expeditions
Globe and Mail Travel