As passionate explorers, Lindblad Expeditions approaches the wild places in the world with an entire tool kit designed for exploration. Our goal is not to show you a place off in the distance but to truly explore it up close and in depth. In order to accomplish this, we’ve cultivated the use of some highly specialized instruments. From bow cams or hydrophones that bring to life the sights and sounds beneath the sea, to kayaks that allow us to silently explore a cove or inlet under our own power, to Undersea Specialists who dive in remote locations like Antarctica and Arctic Norway, these tools allow us to go further and get closer to nature’s wonders.  Read more

Our vessels are outfitted with panoply of underwater exploration equipment ranging from snorkeling gear to high-tech imaging systems. Not surprisingly, we view National Geographic, our partner in exploration, as another essential component to our tool kit. Perhaps it was inevitable that these two complementary organizations, one bringing “the world and all that is in it” to millions of people, the other taking people out to see that same world, should eventually join forces. From the Explorers-in-Residence who advise us and come aboard our ships for certain voyages, to the initiatives we work on together in the areas of geographic education and conservation, one might say this tool allows us, together, to offer the most incredible expeditions possible. If you haven’t already experienced this, join us won’t you. – Sven-Olof Lindblad

Aboard our ships you will travel with Naturalists, Historians, Photographers, Undersea Specialists, Video Chroniclers, Expedition Leaders and many other shipboard personnel. Unequivocally, they form the lifeblood of our operation. And we believe that the caliber of our staff puts us in a league of our own: Ratio – it’s important to us that each of our guests has the ability to interact with our Expedition Team. Read more

To make this possible, we adhere to a ratio of 1 Expedition Staff member for every 15 guests. Our variety of onboard positions and talent is such that you have constant access to new information and presentations. The collective amount of experience within our Expedition Team is uncanny. Many have worked for usfor decades. Among our 19 Expedition Leaders, more than half have been with us for more than a decade and a handful for more than 20 years! You can’t just go out and manufacture that kind of institutional knowledge.

One of the best means for personal exploration in the areas we travel is via kayak. Therefore, we’ve outfitted all of our ships with a fleet of them — not just a symbolic kayak or two, but enough for everyone to get out and explore on their own. There is something very special about being alone, or with a partner in our double kayaks, paddling along a remote coastline, listening to, for instance, the sound of a nearby waterfall and watching a bear forage for food as an eagle soars overhead. Read more

We offer kayaking in not just some of the most beautiful corners of the planet, but also in some of the most wild and harsh places too, like Antarctica. In fact, Lindblad Expeditions pioneered kayaking in both polar regions. But rather than enter into it naively, we strategized with our most seasoned Antarctic Ice Masters & Expedition Leaders, with well over 300 Antarctic expeditions between them.  

Another vital position to our Expedition Staff: a Video Chronicler, who accompanies many of our journeys, — a modern version of the early Chroniclers who accompanied every exploratory mission throughout history. With a state-of-the-art workstation and digital video camera, our Chronicler professionally edits and produces a video of the most exciting elements of your voyage. Read more

Set to music with skillful narration, this piece memorializes your expedition. Perhaps most notably, the video is available before you disembark. And captured footage certainly enhances our on-board presentations. With an array of video equipment and software, our Chronicler works with other Staff to make our presentations ever more visual and exciting.

In 2000, we made a firm commitment to explore and highlight the undersea like we’ve never done before. In doing so, we created the undersea Specialist position, whose primary job is to reveal the undersearealm and make it an integral aspect of the expedition experience. To accomplish this goal, we’ve equipped our Specialists with an arsenal of tools: a video microscope, plankton net, underwater cameras, hydrophones, and more.

This sophisticated underwater tool is, essentially, an underwater video camera framed in a metal cage with propulsion that is tethered to and “piloted” from the surface while the camera “flies” through the water. An ROV can be deployed where you might not want to send a diver: under unstable icebergs, or to many hundreds of feet of depth. Not only does it go to depths much beyond divers (it is rated to 500 ft.) but it can stay there indefinitely, whereas a diver’s bottom-time becomes shorter the deeper they go. Read more

In certain instances, when there is something of interest to see fairly close to the ship, the ROV can be deployed, piloted from the lounge, and the footage can be viewed – live! Of course, we can also record footage for later interpretation and viewing, and to be added to the expedition’s video chronicle.

Our high-quality, digital video cameras use a state-of-the-art underwater housing and lighting system. They allow our Undersea Specialist to record images of the undersea, such as reef fish, sea lions or even shipwrecks. This footage can then be shown and interpreted in the ship’s lounge. To enhance our presentations, we have also installed a computer system that allows for non-linear digital video editing.

Another handy underwater camera is called a “Splash-Cam.” This underwater video camera attaches to a telescoping pole and is “wired” to the surface. This allows us to deploy a camera where we wouldn’t otherwise choose to send a scuba diver or to simply take a quick look at something of interest.

The National Geographic Endeavour, N.G. Explorer, N.G. Sea Bird and N.G. Sea Lion been outfitted with electronic charts. On the National Geographic Explorer, our current position on the chart is broadcast as one of the channels on the cabin video system. In addition, the N.G. Explorer is equipped with a portable depth sounder to create our own charts for the remote areas that we explore. The information from the portable depth sounder is imported and stored with the electronic chart system to give us the most detailed and accurate navigation information possible.

A custom glass bottom Zodiac has been built for the National Geographic Explorer to allow one of our naturalists to explain and interpret the underwater world from "topside" without getting wet. It is a fantastic way to enjoy the underwater realm in a slightly more relaxed manner while also being able to ask questions that are not feasible to ask while snorkeling or diving.

The hydrophone allows us to hear vocalizations by marine mammals. Not all of which make “sounds,” but in some of the areas we travel they are quite vocal. When conditions are right, we deploy the hydrophone to either capture vocalizations in a recording to be heard later, or broadcast live on the ship’s P.A. system to be heard while actually watching marine mammals!

Exclusive to the National Geographic Explorer is our Crow's Nest Camera which is controlled directly on the Bridge and can be zoomed in to hone in on icebergs, wildlife, or anything of particular interest in high resolution color. It's continuously broadcast throughout the cabins on one of the video channels and is one more tool at the disposal of our Captain and Expedition Team to continuously highlight the world around the ship.

The vessels also have plankton nets onboard. These are cone-shaped nets with small mesh that are used to filter tiny animals, algae and protozoa from water. These samples can then be viewed using the video microscope. Great for any climate, like our amazing Galapagos cruises and more.

New to our arsenal is the bow Camera, an underwater camera designed to deploy and retractdirectly from Sea Lion & Sea Bird’s bow. The camera is wired to monitors in our lounge where there is a joystick to operate, allowing viewers camera control. Get a whole new perspective on bow-ridingdolphins!