BIG ACE 2025

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Join us 23 June to 5 July 2025.

Ocean Geographic invites you to step up and join the ACTION – become a Climate Avenger. Lend your voice to the Arctic wilderness and its wildlife. This is your chance to leave a legacy.

Apply to be part of BIG ACE and stand among an elite team of global changemakers on a mission to protect the Arctic Wilderness and secure a healthy, habitable planet for future generations. This is your moment to make a lasting impact and serve as an Ambassador for the Arctic.

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23 June to 5 July 2025
An Epic Climate Action Project by Ocean Geographic,

Celebrating Dr Sylvia Earle’s 90th Birthday

In June 2025, Ocean Geographic’s BIG ACE Expedition will mark a pivotal moment in environmental history. As we celebrate the 90th birthday of the legendary Dr. Sylvia Earle, we will assemble 110 global citizens to journey to the frontlines of climate change: the Arctic. This is not just an ordinary tourist expedition – it is a scientific mission—it’s a movement.

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Your Superpower Can Help Save the Arctic

As a Climate Avenger, you’ll join a diverse team of passionate individuals from around the planet of diverse background. all walks of life. Your mission? To be a voice for the endangered polar bears, walruses, glaciers, and ice that are rapidly disappearing due to climate change. Whether you’re a storyteller, artist, scientist, or advocate, your unique talents will contribute to one collective mission: preserving the Arctic and the planet we call home.

The Arctic is warming four to five times faster than the rest of the planet, and this expedition will amplify the urgent message that action is needed NOW. Through our stories, we aim to galvanize global awareness and call for significant reductions in carbon emissions to avert the worst impacts of climate catastrophe.

What Will You Do as a BIG ACE Climate Avenger?

This is your opportunity to unleash your superpower. Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, musician, photographer, artist, or educator, your contribution will help tell the Arctic’s story to the world. Imagine the impact of your work:

  • Write a captivating story
  • Create a documentary or short film
  • Compose music that echoes the wild
  • Paint a mural or sculpture
  • Record a podcast to inspire listeners
  • Lead a campaign for change
  • Host exhibitions or workshops to spread awareness

This is your Legacy in Action—to create something powerful that will inspire future generations to protect our planet. BIG ACE is more than a journey, it’s a creative explosion of voices and talents from across the globe, united to stand for the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem and the overall health of our Ocean Planet.

WHAT SETS BIG ACE APART FROM OTHER POLAR EXPEDITIONS:

Unlike traditional expeditions, BIG ACE is about inclusivity, action, and inspiration. It’s not just for scientists or researchers but for anyone passionate about making a difference. This project will harness multimedia storytelling—from films and art to music and education—to engage mass audiences and create lasting change. BIG ACE’s mission is to lobby for the full protection of the Arctic, foster a deeper appreciation for its beauty and fragility, and inspire environmental stewardship on a global scale.

A Frontline Experience Like No Other

On this once-in-a-lifetime journey, you’ll witness the Arctic’s breathtaking beauty and the stark realities of climate change. You’ll be led by world-renowned experts and be part of a dynamic team that will document, share, and mobilize global action through films, reports, exhibitions, and more. Together, we’ll create a powerful narrative that will resonate far beyond the icy frontiers of the Arctic.

Join the Movement

The Arctic is not just a distant wilderness—it’s the beating heart of our climate system. As the ice melts, it’s not just polar bears at risk, but all of us. BIG ACE is your chance to make a real difference. By joining this expedition, you’ll be part of a global force driving change for a habitable future.

 

This is your call to Action.
Be bold. Be visionary. Be a Climate Avenger. Together, we can shape the future of our planet.

Are you ready to join the fight for the Arctic?
Apply now and bring your superpower to BIG ACE.

Organized by the Ocean Geographic Society of OceanNEnvironment Ltd aboard the MV Sylvia Earle, an expedition ship operated by the carbon-neutral company Aurora Expeditions, BIG ACE pays homage to Dr Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue and Time Magazine's first Hero of the Planet.

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Expedition Route

The route for the BIG ACE High Arctic Odyssey begins from 78°N Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and navigates northward, to go beyond 80°N in pursuit of the remaining Arctic ice shelf. Weather permitting, the journey proceeds eastward towards Kritoya, circling around Austfonna, one of the largest glaciers on the planet.

The primary objective of this extraordinary expedition is to encounter and observe a diverse range of Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, walruses, puffins, ivory gulls, reindeer, and Arctic foxes, as well as the awe-inspiring sights of sea ice platforms and calving glaciers. Notably, Svalbard is home to an astounding 2100 glaciers, contributing to an unparalleled natural spectacle.

Throughout this remarkable voyage, the expedition team will witness firsthand the impact of the climate crisis in the high Arctic environment, with invaluable insights provided by seasoned naturalists and climate science experts.

The Arctic Climate Expedition (BIG ACE)

EXPEDITION SHIP: The Sylvia Earle 

VOYAGE: Svalbard – High Arctic

EMBARK: Longyearbyen

DISEMBARK: Longyearbyen

CHARTER FLIGHT: OSLO-LYR-OSLO

DURATION: 13 days / 12 nights 

START DATE: 23 June 2025 (2 nights – Oslo and 1 night Longyearbyen)

 EMBARKATION: 26 June 2025

DISEMBARKATION: 5 July 2025

Expedition Ship - The Sylvia Earle

Our expedition ship was newly built in 2022 and is named in honor of Dr Sylvia Earle herself. This purpose-built vessel was designed for Aurora Expeditions Australia to enable expeditions to even the most remote places on Earth.

Its revolutionary ULSTEIN X-BOW® allows the ship to cross oceans more comfortably and efficiently, and with expansive observation decks. The Sylvia Earle offers the perfect base camp for adventures at the outer limits of human exploration and accommodates an average of 132 expedition members per voyage within 70 comfortable cabins. The ship also features a modern lecture lounge, a science center, multiple observation areas, Zodiac launching platforms, a restaurant serving exquisite meals, a gym and wellness center, Jacuzzis, a mudroom, and many other amenities.

PRE-EXPEDITION: TBA

STAGING HOTEL: Radisson Red, Oslo

POST-EXPEDITION: TBA

The Expedition package compromises:

23 June: Arrival in Oslo.

24 June: Pre-Expedition Conference

25 June: Fly to Longyearbyen & check in hotel 

26 June: half day culture and wildlife tour

26 June: embark on the Sylvia Earle

5 July - Disembark Sylvia Earle and flight to Oslo

  • Inclusions

    Transfer from airport to hotel on Day 3.

    • Three night’s hotel accommodation including breakfast, 2x Oslo, 1 x Longyearbyen (twin share)
    • Sightseeing tour of Longyearbyen, before embarkation (weather permitting).
    • Transfer from the pier to the airport in Longyearbyen on Day 13.
    • Return charter flights between Oslo and Longyearbyen.
    • Onboard accommodation (twin share) during the voyage, including daily cabin service.
    • All meals, snacks, tea and coffee during the voyage.
    • Beer, house wine and soft drinks with dinner.
    • Captain’s Farewell reception including four-course dinner, house cocktails, house beer and wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.
    • All shore excursions and Zodiac cruises.
    • Educational lectures and guiding services are provided by the Expedition Team.
    • Complimentary access to onboard expedition doctors and medical clinics (initial consultation).
    • One 3-in-1 waterproof, polar expedition jacket.
    • Complimentary use of Muck Boots during the voyage.
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information.

    Essay Writing Workshop – 35 spots – Free

    Fine Art Painting Workshop – 20 spots – Free

    Photography Workshop – 30 spots – Free

    Scuba package – Premiere (about 12 dives) – USD 1398

    Scuba package – Lite (about 6 dives) – USD 698

    Kayak package (suits included) – USD 998



About Dr Sylvia Earle

Dr Sylvia Earle, a Rolex Testimonee fondly referred to as Her Deepness is the recipient of more than 100 national and international honours and awards. These include being named Time Magazine’s first Hero of the Planet, a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2014, UNEP Champion of the Earth, Glamour Magazine’s 2014 Woman of the Year, member of the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, and winner of 2009 TED Prize, the Walter Cronkite Award, the 1996 Explorers Club Medal, the Royal Geographic Society 2011 Patron’s Medal and the National Geographic 2013 Hubbard Medal.

Sylvia was the first woman to become chief scientist of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is currently President and Chairperson of Mission Blue and the Sylvia Earle Alliance.

Known as the mother of our world’s oceans, she is an oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer with an insatiable passion for underwater exploration and marine conservation. Sylvia still currently holds the record for a solo dive to an astonishing depth of 1,005 meters into the deep sea.

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