Lobodon carcinophagus

The crabeater seal is one of the most abundant mammals in the world. Their population has increased rapidly over the past 50 years, probably because of declining numbers of whales. The crabeater seal is a seal who lives at the pack ice around Antarctica. Little is known about their behavior because the living area of the crabeater seal makes study not easy.

Males reach a length of around 2,5 meters and can get a weight of 200 tot 300 kg. Females are slightly smaller. The crabeater seal has a dark grey fur that turns almost white in summer.

As the Aleksey Maryshev sails from Ushuaia (Argentina), the southernmost city of our world, towards the Antarctica, I recall images I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard about the Drake Passage, famed for its roughest seas on Earth.

The Antarctic continent is the last continent many people would think of when planning a dive trip. Its cold harsh conditions don’t sound too appealing for the average holiday diver. For other divers going to Antarctica is a dream come true. The dive sites are almost unexplored. There is a lot that you could possibly see during a trip to this coldest continent. Penguins, ice bergs, fur seals, leopard seals, ice fishes are just waiting for you. We had the opportunity to visit this incredible part of the world. What we experienced this trip was more than we ever could have imagined.