Latest news with #OceanExplorer
Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Is Svalbard Still The Best Destination To See Polar Bears?
Quark Expeditions guests watched this young female polar bear climb an ice hummock for a better view. Stephen Bradley, courtesy of Quark Expeditions Aboard Quark Expedition's ice class ship Ocean Explorer , the expedition leader's voice wakes guests over the PA system in the morning before breakfast. It's day four of a high Arctic trip through Svalbard, an archipelago of islands that's one of the northernmost land masses in the world. Svalbard is famous as an Arctic wilderness of serrated peaks, tumbling glaciers, and shifting sea ice. It's also home to an array of Arctic wildlife, including foxes, walrus, reindeer, whales—and polar bears, which is what most travelers come here to see. That is why leader David Wood is waking guests up . 'A polar bear has been spotted off the bow,' he announces. Throughout the 138-passenger ship, travelers hustle out of bed and into gear warm enough for an early June morning up here—it's in the low 30s F°. Some even eschew coffee in the excitement on the way up to the outer decks, from which they'll watch the bear for as long as the ship has a good view of it. But this season, there's a difference in how wildlife like this is allowed to be viewed. The Norwegian government, which controls Svalbard, put new regulations in place that started in January of 2025 to protect this fragile Arctic environment, which last year saw an estimated 500 cruise ships carrying 26,000 passengers. One of those regulations is that expedition ships must keep a distance of at least 300 meters from polar bears. Between March and June, it's 500 meters. 'Climate change is leading to more difficult conditions for polar bears on Svalbard,' Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, the Norwegian minister of climate and environment, told The Independent . 'It is important for them to be able to search for food, hunt, rest, and take care of their cubs without interference from humans. Keeping a good distance will also ensure that dangerous situations do not arise and that polar bears do not get used to humans over time.' Other new regulations include a ban on drone use, and a ban on breaking fast ice, which is ice that's anchored to the shore or a shallow ocean bottom and doesn't move with wind or currents, like sea ice does. Polar bears rely on fast ice as a platform for hunting seals. There was some initial unease within the travel industry and media that these regulatory changes in Svalbard would negatively impact the guest experience. Paul Goldstein, an expedition leader and photographer with the cruise operator Secret Atlas, said that 'thousands of cabins' are going unbooked on ships due to the distance rule, as 'the pleasure and thrill' of a close-up encounter with Earth's largest land-based predator 'is being denied.' But how much was the experience actually being impacted by these rules? Polar Bear Encounters Before and After Regulations On Ocean Explorer , guests are quietly watching a sub-adult female from the two outer decks on the bow of the ship, which the captain is keeping 500 meters away from the bear. Before the new regulations, says Annie Inglis, Marine Biology Presenter with Quark, the expedition crew would be hurrying to get guests in Zodiacs to try to get closer to a bear sighting like this. Quark guests watching a polar bear on the sea ice from the upper deck of the Ocean Explorer. Stephen Bradley, courtesy of Quark Expeditions 'It was always based on a non-disturbance principle,' she says, where any sign that wildlife was changing behavior due to the presence of people or boats meant the boats backed off. Inglis did have some concerns about the new regulations because 'we always want to give guests the best possible experience for seeing wildlife, to meet or exceed expectations they may have.' But without the stress of logistics and time spent in lowering Zodiacs into the water, getting people geared up in waterproof layers, boots, and lifejackets and off the ship into the small rubber boats, Inglis says the experience is, in fact, better. 'The quality of the experiences we've been having this season have so far been remarkable. We're able to observe behavior, watch for longer, and people can find a spot on deck where they can watch comfortably, and change position. We set up scopes all around.' Deck Viewing Allows for Longer Encounters From the height of the upper bow decks, the view of the bear is exceptional. For an hour and a half, guests watch her pace on the ice. She breaks into a run a few times. She climbs a hummock for a better view, and finds a lead of open water to take herself swimming. She stalks a seal resting on the ice, unsuccessfully. 'That's one sign she's a sub-adult,' Inglis says. 'She's wasting precious energy swimming, running, and rolling.' The thing is, 500 meters doesn't seem that far away. Guests are close enough that through binoculars, one can clearly see the blood and blubber from the bear's last meal still staining her muzzle. A polar bear rolls on sea ice in the northernmost reaches of Svalbard. Stephen Bradley, courtesy of Quark Expeditions 'I have heard from both Quark and Oceanwide that they are getting much higher guest satisfaction scores on their Svalbard expeditions this year in comparison with previous years,' said Kassandra Magruder, Senior Trip Planner with Adventure Life, a travel planning company that sells Arctic trips. 'They feel that the new regulations in Svalbard are having no negative effects on their ability to deliver a world-class experience to their guests. From Adventure Life's standpoint, Svalbard bookings continue to be as strong as ever and we are seeing less availability for the 2026 season than we have in past years at this same time.' If seeing polar bears in an Arctic wilderness is on your bucket list, now is the time to plan a Svalbard trip.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
All professions of Minecraft villagers explained
Image via Mojang Villagers play a vital role in Minecraft for a player, as they offer various trades. They have professions and provide trade that comes under their profession. Through trading with villagers, the player can get easy and fast resources, which help save time and progress faster in the game. To efficiently trade with villagers, players first need to know about all the professions they possess. There are a total of 15 professions and 13 jobs available in the present-day Minecraft, each of them unique from the other. The job block present beside the villager represents their profession in Minecraft. This article will help players understand all 15 professions of villagers in Minecraft. Minecraft villager professions and job site blocks NEW Ultimate Minecraft Villager Guide 1.21 | Trades, Breeding, Events... | How to Find a Village Here is the list of all the professions and jobs available in Minecraft with their respective job site block: Armorer Job Site Block: Blast Furnace Trades: Iron armor, chainmail armor, shields, and enchanted diamond armor at higher levels. Butcher Job Site Block : Smoker Trades : Cooked meats, rabbit stew, and sweet berries. Cartographer Job Site Block : Cartography Table Trades : Maps (Ocean Explorer, Woodland Explorer), banner patterns, and glass panes. Cleric Job Site Block : Brewing Stand Trades : Redstone, ender pearls, lapis lazuli, and Bottle o' Enchanting. Farmer Job Site Block: Composter Trades : Bread, apples, golden carrots, cake, and suspicious stews. Fisherman Job Site Block: Barrel Trades : Cooked cod, salmon, enchanted fishing rods, and buckets of fish. Fletcher Job Site Block: Fletching Table Trades : Arrows (including tipped arrows), bows, and crossbows. Leatherworker Job Site Block : Cauldron Trades : Leather armor, horse armor, and saddles. Librarian Job Site Block : Lectern Trades : Enchanted books, name tags, and bookshelves. Stone Mason Job Site Block : Stonecutter Trades : Stone, bricks, and decorative stone blocks. Shepherd Job Site Block : Loom Trades : Colored wool, carpets, and paintings. Tool smith Job Site Block : Smithing Table Trades : Tools such as pickaxes, axes, and shovels, including enchanted versions. Weaponsmith Job Site Block : Grindstone Trades : Weapons like swords and axes, including enchanted variants. Unemployed These villagers are unemployed but can be given a profession by placing an unclaimed job site block beside them. Nitwit These are the type of villagers who cannot acquire any job. These are all the 15 different types of villager professions in Minecraft. Every profession has its own unique offering and benefit. Understanding all the professions of villagers will help the players leverage them, as through this they can access a wide range of resources of the game with ease. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Luxury cruise ship caught in 40-foot waves while traveling through Drake Passage
Passengers on a cruise ship sailing through rough seas got more than they bargained for when waves up to 40 feet rocked passengers onboard. Video posted to Instagram shows massive waves hitting the Quark Expeditions' Ocean Explorer ship, which was traveling between Antartica and the tip of South Africa, known as the Drake Passage, according to the New York Post. "Imagine if you signed up for a 48 hour rollercoaster," one travel blogger wrote on Instagram. "Yes, we were safe and it was insane…and at times, even fun? 1000% worth it for this trip of a lifetime!" Norovirus Sickens Over 200 Cruise Ship Passengers On Month-long Voyage Lesley Anne Murphy, a travel blogger, said that crew on the ship had told passengers to stay in their cabins until the ship was no longer being rocked by the waves. Quark Expeditions said the Drake Passage has "fierce weather and extremely powerful waves," since it's an area where the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern oceans flow. Read On The Fox News App Teen On Royal Caribbean Cruise Attacked By Hiv-infected Illegal Immigrant: Police The company said its ships are "built to navigate such waters." "I am proud to say we survived not one but two Drake Shakes," Murphy wrote. "If you're lucky, you get the 'Drake Lake.' If you're like us, you get the 'Drake Shake' with 35-foot waves."Original article source: Luxury cruise ship caught in 40-foot waves while traveling through Drake Passage
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Fox News
Luxury cruise ship caught in 40-foot waves while traveling through Drake Passage
Passengers on a cruise ship sailing through rough seas got more than they bargained for when waves up to 40 feet rocked passengers onboard. Video posted to Instagram shows massive waves hitting the Quark Expeditions' Ocean Explorer ship, which was traveling between Antartica and the tip of South Africa, known as the Drake Passage, according to the New York Post. "Imagine if you signed up for a 48 hour rollercoaster," one travel blogger wrote on Instagram. "Yes, we were safe and it was insane…and at times, even fun? 1000% worth it for this trip of a lifetime!" Lesley Anne Murphy, a travel blogger, said that crew on the ship had told passengers to stay in their cabins until the ship was no longer being rocked by the waves. Quark Expeditions said the Drake Passage has "fierce weather and extremely powerful waves," since it's an area where the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern oceans flow. The company said its ships are "built to navigate such waters." "I am proud to say we survived not one but two Drake Shakes," Murphy wrote. "If you're lucky, you get the 'Drake Lake.' If you're like us, you get the 'Drake Shake' with 35-foot waves."
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
'48 hour rollercoaster': 35-foot waves pummel Antarctica cruise, passenger video shows
Massive waves pummeled a cruise ship during an Antarctica voyage, video footage from a passenger shows. Lesley Anne Murphy posted clips to Instagram on March 26 that appeared to show the ship rocking back and forth, a woman sliding across the floor as the vessel lurched, and a TV slamming into a wall. At certain points, walls of water are nearly all that is visible from the windows. Guests saw the 35-foot waves while crossing the Drake Passage, a notoriously treacherous waterway between Antarctica and South America. 'Yes, we were safe, and it was insane … and at times, even fun?' Murphy wrote on Instagram. '1000% worth it for this trip of a lifetime!' The travel journalist, who also appeared as a contestant on 'The Bachelor,' compared the experience to a '48-hour rollercoaster." Murphy was onboard Quark Expeditions' Ocean Explorer ship at the time. "Quark Expeditions has over 30 years of experience navigating polar waters with a purpose-built, ice-class fleet and expert crew," a spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. "Safety remains our top priority, ensuring guests are well cared for in all conditions. The ship, crew, and passengers completed their polar voyage safely and without incident." Murphy did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. Most expedition cruises to Antarctica cross the Drake Passage, which takes around two days. Travelers could experience a 'Drake shake' like Murphy or a smooth 'Drake lake.' She said on Instagram the ship experienced two "Drake shakes" during her trip. Story continues below. I sailed to Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions in 2023, and my own experience on the way down was somewhere in the middle, with waves roughly 13 feet high. Some cruise operators offer flights over the Drake Passage. However, Kristin Winkaffe, a luxury travel designer and founder of Winkaffe Global Travel, told USA TODAY last year that those itineraries are both 'exponentially more expensive' and less reliable due to unpredictable weather in the area. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Antarctica cruise pummeled by massive waves, video shows
