Chris's Excellent Adventure

Newcastle Herald

Thursday November 2, 2006

By RENEE HOWELL, JAMIE CONWAY and SOPHIE TURNER

IMAGINE being deep in Antarctic waters of -1? Celsius, being chased by a sea lion and almost falling over an ice cliff in a tiny kayak.

This is all part of a days' exploration of Antarctica for explorer Chris Olsen.

Mr Olsen has made two trips to Antarctica one to Commonwealth Bay and the other to the Antarctic Peninsula.

He says the beauty and the wildlife are amazing. They are what keep drawing him back to Antarctica's fragile and often harsh environment.

"It's almost like an obsession," Mr Olsen says.

Mr Olsen says the most amazing part of his journeys has been being up close to the creatures of Antarctica.

"When I saw the penguins for the first time, it's an incredible experience," Mr Olsen says.

"If you stay still the penguins will come right up to you. The seals just sort of lie there and the elephant seal pups look at you with these very large eyes."

As incredible as the creatures were, there were also some scary moments for Mr Olsen during his journey.

"I came face-to-face with a sea lion bull," Mr Olsen says. "That was my most terrifying moment on the trip. I thought he was going to bite me as he roared centimetres from my face and kept following me.

"As I slowly edged back he lost interest, after about half an hour."

Mr Olsen shares his Antarctic journeys with many students.

© 2006 Newcastle Herald

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