Rare Giant Phantom Jellyfish, Oh My! Viking Expedition Ships Aid Antarctic Research

Cruise ships’ submersibles play an important role in biological research in polar waters—including providing three encounters with the rare giant phantom jellyfish—according to a just-published scientific paper by Viking Expeditions scientists Daniel M. Moore, Anna Elina Fink, Eva Prendergast and Antony Gilbert.

Giant phantom jellyfish spotted three times from Viking Octantis’ yellow submarines

Since it was first described in 1910, there have been only 126 confirmed encounters with the rare giant phantom jellyfish, scyphozoan Stygiomedusa gigantea.

The 30-foot-long creature—which looks a bit like a giant ribbon attached to a three-foot wide umbrella—are not easy to spot. Though they’re thought to swim in all the world’s oceans (except the Arctic Ocean) they seem to prefer deep water. The deeper the sea creatures are, the more difficult and expensive it is for scientists to study them.

That’s where cruise ships’ submarines come in, as described in the scientific paper by Viking Expeditions scientists. It was published January 30, 2023, in Polar Research, the journal of the Norwegian Polar Institute (which makes Viking the first cruise line to publish a scientific paper).

The Polar Research paper describes the challenges of exploring non-shallow waters, particularly in Antarctica, due to the small number of submersibles capable of depths below 50 meters (165 feet) and the financial barriers and challenges accessing remote destinations. Viking Expeditions’ research partnerships and inclusion of resident scientists allowed opportunities to encounter the rare giant phantom jellyfish which swam past Viking Octantis’ submarines on three occasions during the ship’s inaugural season in the Antarctic in 2022.

Science aboard Viking

Science and research are an important aspect of cruising with Viking, particularly so with its expedition ships. Viking bills itself as “the thinking person’s cruise” and its voyages are designed to encourage passengers to engage with each destination’s history, heritage, and natural and built environments.

This is especially the case aboard Viking’s two 378-passenger expedition ships which spend the southern hemisphere’s summer season in Antarctica and then sail along South America’s western coast, go through the Panama Canal, and then up to the U.S. and Canada to explore the Great Lakes during the northern hemisphere’s summer.

The two expedition ships, Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis, have resident scientists, an onboard laboratory with wet and dry facilities, the Aula auditorium (modelled after the former venue for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at the University of Oslo and equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows in case there’s a whale to watch), plus an expedition team of at least 36 experts on every cruise.

Viking’s scientific partnerships include the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute, the Norwegian Institute of Water Research, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Ornithologists might be on board field testing new methods for observing birds or tracking birds’ migratory patterns, for example, or guests may interact with botanists, biologists, glaciologists, geologists or oceanographers doing field research like testing ocean waters for microplastics. Viking’s chairman, Torstein Hagen, said “at the core of Viking Expeditions is the goal to do meaningful scientific work” and expressed his pleasure at Viking’s scientists and vessels contributing to critical research.

Equipment on each expedition ship for exploring the natural environment includes military-grade special operations boats, zodiacs, and polar kayaks with a pedal system to facilitate photography. Plus passengers can explore the underwater world via each ship’s two yellow submarines, delightfully named John, Paul, George and Ringo—and, unlike with other cruise lines, there’s no extra cost for a sub ride. Six guests, plus a pilot, sit in swiveling seats next to 270-degree spherical windows which are perfect for viewing the rare jellyfish that may swim by (though in the Antarctic you’re more likely to be admiring the underside of icebergs).

All of this equipment is not only used for passengers’ education and lifetime experiences but allows the scientific community improved access to under-explored waters like those in Antarctica. Daniel Moore, lead author of the Polar Research article, said “It is extraordinary that we know so little about such large marine creatures as the giant phantom jellyfish, however now we have the means to make regular observations at greater depths than previously possible, which provides an exciting opportunity for discovery.”