Everything Polar
Have you always wanted to see immense glaciers, lofty mountains, huge icebergs and curious penguins? Ever wanted to follow in the footsteps of the great explorers,
Sir Ernest Shackleton, Captain Scott, Roald Amundsen, Sir Douglas Mawson and others? David has worked on board the Akademik Ioffe, Akaemik Sergey Vavilov,
Cliper Adventurer and MV Orion in various capacities including zodiac driver, photographer, lecturer and naturalist. David has travelled with Quark Expeditions,
Peregrine Adventures and Orion Expedition Cruises and privately to Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Antarctic Peninsula, Adelie
Land (including Mawson's Huts), the Ross Sea (including Shackleton's and Scott's Huts), Macquarie Island, Campbell Island and the Auckland and Snares Islands.
Contact David if you have any questions about visiting the polar regions.
Check out the Australian Antarctic Division's website and if you make it to Hobart take the leisurely drive south to Kingston to check out the Antarctic display at AAD
headquarters. The AAD site is filled with fantastic information for scientists, schoolkids and Antarcticians generally.
Track a polar bear
Check out the state of sea ice at various locations in Antarctica at the BOM
Check out the extent of sea ice in Svalbard at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
Photography Links
David recommends you visit the website of his good Canadian friend and wonderful photographer Mark Freedman.
David recommends you visit the website of his splendid Aussie mate and fellow polar fanatic Michael Gatehouse at www.polarphotographer.com
David shoots with Nikon.
Adventure
Check up on Aussie Adventurer Don McIntyre's re-enactment of the voyage of Captain Bligh from Tonga to Timor on the Bounty Boat Blog. Don is also the Expedition
Leader in Antarctica on board Orion. Don's crew is supporting the Sheffield Institute Foundation's Motor Neurone Research efforts.
Ever got to the top of the mountain on a bluebird day and gazed beyond the out of bounds signs at distant peaks and endless fields of virgin powder? Ever dreamed of
looking back up at a perfect series of turns or doing figure eights in pristine snow with your buddies? If you're heading to Whistler Blackcomb definitely look up
Guillaume at Coast Mountain Guides. Guillaume and his team can teach you the skills to you need to travel safely in the back country or guide you safely to the best
spots for some virgin pow and guaranteed adventure free from lifts, lines and lunatics!
Check out Eucalypt Productions website and the award winning Aussie Alps "freeheeling" film "Winter Dreaming"
Fire and Ice - Head to Iceland, the world's youngest country for spectacular scenery and the odd volcanic burst. David recommends Icelandic Mountain Guides to
show you the wonders of Iceland - geysers glaciers, gushing waterfalls and more.
Other
Dr Karl K joined the Orion Expedition Team for a voyage to Mawsons Huts at Commonwealth Bay. You wont meet a more inquisitive, informative and energetic soul
than Dr Karl - check out Dr Karl's website to figure out what's bollocks and what's not!
Check out the website of Sydney author, photographer and artist Alasdair McGregor.
Check out the work of Australian wildlife artist extraordinaire Brett Jarrett. Brett is responsible for the remarkably accurate and detailed wildlife illustrations in "A
Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife".
Check out 2041.
Cool Causes
Albatross Conservation - Robert Cushman Murphy once famously said: "I have joined a higher band of mortals for I have now seen the albatross." Anyone who has
seen the giant Wandering Albatross sweep effortlessly in 40 knot winds across the vast expanses of the Southern Ocean or heard the call of the gorgeous Light-
Mantled Sooty Albatross from a cliff-top in South Georgia will know exactly what Mr Murphy meant. David travelled with Graeme Robertson and Peregrine Adventures
to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica on board the Akademik Sergey Vavilov in November 2009. "On that voyage I learned a lot more about albatross
and the horrific slaughter of these magnificent creatures by long line fishing. I also learned more about Graeme's efforts to try to eliminate this needless destructive
bycatch. I was so impressed by Graeme's dedication and ingenuity. I urge anyone with a love of the natural world to learn more about his efforts and perhaps dig deep
to help. Hopefully in the near future there will be a fundraiser - check back for details.
Oxfam Australia - David travelled with Oxfam to India in 2003 on a corporate community leadership program and completed the Oxfam Trailwalker in 2004, raising over
$5,000 together with his teammates for Oxfam. Oxfam runs terrific community development programs. Oxfam is dedicated to providing people with the skills and tools
they need to provide their own solutions to poverty alleviation, i.e. donations are spent on real, long term community building initiatives, not just handouts.
Australia Conservation Foundation - David had a brief stint with the ACF as a in house lawyer in 2007. The ACF team is comprised of a highly dedicated and
professional crew of folks committed to conservation. Check out the ACF site to find out more about the ACF's philosophy, current campaigns and tips for leading a
more sustainable lifestyle.
Fred Hollows Foundation - There is no greater gift than restoring preventable blindness. The Fred Hollows Foundation works to prevent unnecessary blindness.
Remarkably the Foundation has restored sight to over 1 million people since its inception.