Explore TV’s presenter, Trevor Cochrane, returns to the screen with Viking this Saturday, 1 February 2025, at 4:30 pm AEDT on Channel Nine with the first of four episodes dedicated to Viking’s 13-day Antarctic Explorer voyage on board the award-winning ship, the Viking Octantis.
Throughout February, Cochrane ventures where few others have been, taking viewers on a journey of otherworldly wildlife and breathtaking vistas that will leave an indelible mark on viewers. Cochrane uncovers a land of paradoxes: the world’s biggest desert and world’s largest ice sheet belonging to no nation, which lay virtually unexplored until 150 years ago.
Viking Managing Director ANZ Michelle Black said, “We are honoured to have Trevor travel for the seventh time with Viking and present our Antarctic Explorer voyage. Trevor and his team have brought to life the absolute best this exciting itinerary has to offer.”
In the first episode, Cochrane begins his journey in vibrant Buenos Aires, where he tours the gastronomic district of Palermo Soho, sampling empanadas, steak and Argentinean ice cream. He visits lively Caminito in La Boca for more local delicacies and performances, including Tango, before finally embarking on the Viking Octantis in Ushuaia.
The second episode sees Cochrane sail the infamous Drake Passage before setting eyes on the “White Continent” for the first time.
“There’s a significant amount of mystique associated with Antarctica, the purity of the landscape, the natural wonders, the rugged terrain and arduous journey to get there—I’m not sure what was top of mind, but all weighed in on my thoughts of what to expect—but what I actually experienced blew my mind,” said Explore TV Presenter, Trevor Cochrane.
Episode two continues with Cochrane kayaking through Antarctic waters, navigating icebergs and learning about sea ice. His first shore landing explores a historic hut at Damoy Point built by the British Antarctic Survey in 1975 with Viking Polar Expedition Leader, David McGonigal.
In the third episode, Cochrane introduces viewers to the onboard The Science Lab, where Viking guests learn from and participate with scientists in primary research. Trevor visits an Adélie penguin colony in Brown Bluff and the shipwreck of the Guvernøren, a whaling boat that caught fire during a staff party in 1915 near Enterprise Island.
Episode four begins with a submarine dive to the Southern Ocean floor and a Special Operations Boat (SOB) ride alongside a pod of humpback whales feeding before concluding the series with a visit to Astrolabe Island to view seals and chinstrap penguins.
“We rode on the SOBs to where we could see whales and the guide idled the boat. Bubbles started rising around the boat, which seemed fascinating and innocuous. But our experienced skipper knew. He gently reversed the boat to ten metres away and told Lawrence, Explore TV’s director of photography, to change to a wide lens. We were in the middle of a feeding pod of 40-tonne humpback whales swimming deep underneath us, blowing bubbles in circles as they pushed krill upwards before bursting to the surface with mouths agape only a few metres from the boat.” said Cochrane.
Tune into Explore TV on Channel Nine and 9NOW every Saturday for four weeks until 22 February 2025 at 4:30 pm AEDT, 5:30 pm AWST, for the chance to win* a 13-day Antarctic Explorer voyage for two people, departing 14 November 2025.
“Agents who have clients considering an expedition to Antarctica, are advised to watch these episodes. They provide a fantastic opportunity to learn about life on board Viking’s elegant and comfortable Polar Class expedition ships as well as the unique experiences they can participate in, in one of the world’s most remote destinations,” Black concluded.
