Shackleton

On World Oceans Day, we turn our attention beneath the Arctic ice.

In May 2024, scientists aboard the research vessel Kronprins Haakon travelled north through the Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard, exploring one of the least understood regions on Earth. Using REV Ocean’s 6,000-metre-rated ROV Aurora, the team surveyed deep-sea habitats including the Knipovich Ridge, Jøtul Vent Field and Molløy Deep – the deepest point in the Arctic Ocean at 5,550 metres.

What they found was extraordinary.

From hydrothermal vent communities powered by chemosynthesis rather than sunlight, to vast sponge gardens, cold-water corals, sea stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers and microscopic organisms that drive nutrient cycling across the ocean floor, the expedition revealed a hidden world thriving in extreme conditions.

Among the discoveries were shrimp covered in bacteria capable of converting toxic chemicals into energy, a reminder that life can flourish in places once thought impossible.

These ecosystems are not only scientifically significant, they are increasingly vulnerable. As ocean temperatures rise and interest in deep-sea resource extraction grows, documenting and understanding these environments has never been more urgent.

Through world reknowned polar photographer and friend of Shackleton’s, Martin Hartley ’s photography, the creatures surviving and thriving in these remote polar landscapes and the oceans that sustain them are brought into view, helping tell the stories of places few will ever see, but all of us depend upon.

The more we discover, the more there is to protect.

📍 South Georgia, 1916

On this day in 1916, the whalers of Stromness saw three ghostly figures emerge from the South Georgian wilderness, filthy, frostbitten and half-dead. They were Sir Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean, presumed lost for months.

Their journey was unprecedented: 800 miles across the world’s most brutal seas in a 22-foot lifeboat, followed by a crossing of South Georgia’s unmapped, glaciated mountains with only 50 feet of rope, a carpenter’s adze and extraordinary willpower.

The final descent was as desperate as the rest:

“We’ll slide,” Shackleton said. “It’s a devil of a risk. But we’ve got to take it.”

Tied together, the three men tobogganed into darkness towards Fortuna Bay and miraculously survived – a descent so notorious we borrowed its name for our first alpine ski suit. After 36 hours without sleep or shelter, they reached Stromness, unrecognisable.

“Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Shackleton,” came the reply. “We have lost our ship and come over the island.”

This was the turning point in the Endurance ordeal. Every man would survive. Not one life lost.

As Shackleton later reflected:

“We had pierced the veneer of outside things. We had ‘suffered, starved, and triumphed, groveled down yet grasped at glory, grown bigger in the bigness of the whole.’ We had seen God in his splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of men.”

Photographs from slide 2 onwards by , who last year, alongside and the team from , attempted to retrace Shackleton’s route through South Georgia.

Despite modern equipment and mapping technology, the team could not complete the full traverse, returning to Fortuna Bay by ship to make the descent from the Stromness side. With the luxury of time to plan their journey were greated with beautiful weather conditions compared to the bleak icy darkness Shackleton and his men endured.

📍 South Georgia, 1916

On this day, 19 May 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean set out to cross the uncharted, glaciated interior of South Georgia in a final bid to save their stranded men.

Just a week earlier, the James Caird had reached King Haakon Bay after 17 days battling monstrous waves, freezing spray and exhaustion. After enduring thirst, cold and near loss of the Caird to the night tide, the men found brief shelter before facing another challenge: crossing a mountainous island with no map, minimal equipment and barely enough strength to continue.
With nails hammered into their boots as crampons, driftwood walking sticks and three days’ rations stuffed into socks, the trio began their climb beneath a full moon.

Theirs was a journey into the unknown – glacier fields, hidden precipices, freezing mist and no trails to follow. They navigated like sailors through snow, calling “starboard!” and “port!” as they pushed forward.
Today, we remember this remarkable act of leadership, improvisation and endurance.

Shackleton chose the difficult path and in doing so, gave his men a chance at survival.

Photographs taken by , who last year, alongside and the team from , attempted to retrace Shackleton’s route through South Georgia. Despite modern equipment and mapping technology, the team could not complete the full route, highlighting just how extraordinary Shackleton’s original traverse truly was.

This Wednesday the team will embark on their NW crossing of Svalbard’s heavily glaciated Spitsbergen Island. In this all-women expedition resilience, friendship and purpose matter more than records.

From crevasse rescue training in Finse to polar bear safety training in Svalbard, these images capture the preparation behind the journey. Now, they head into the High Arctic.

We wish the entire Girls Trip team the very best of luck as they take on this remarkable expedition.

Follow along via our Instagram Stories for daily updates, and read more about the journey via the link in bio.

Team members:
Cat
Amelia
Ayuka
Jen
Emma
Amelia