iExplore Alaska: Wild Alaska & The Bering Sea(Trip #66141)

Tour Overview

Our Wild Alaska expedition showcases the islands and coastlines of the Bering Sea and their wealth of North Pacific wildlife - seabirds, walrus, Arctic fox, and bears. During our adventure we ceremoniously cross the Arctic Circle and explore the remote Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. Watch for bears along the hidden bays of Katmai National Park; step ashore in Kodiak, the first capital of Russia's North American colonies; and on St. Lawrence Island be the welcome guests of a Siberian Yupik community. Impressive landscapes - from pristine coves and beaches to expansive tundra and soaring mountains - serve as photogenic backdrops to this remarkable adventure.

WHAT TO EXPECT
For most activities, a relatively moderate level of exertion is required. You will need to climb, unaided, in and out of Zodiacs for excursions ashore; staff and crew members will be on hand to assist. We’ve designed our shore excursions to accommodate both those who enjoy gentle strolls and those who prefer more active hikes. A few of the excursions may have rough terrain, with uneven beaches. Climate conditions vary depending upon our ship’s position. Summer temperatures in Alaska range from approximately 40º to 60ºF. We will mail you a complete list of recommended clothing and suggested reading approximately five months prior to departure. Flexibility is a must, as itineraries are subject to change, and landings may be tidal or weather dependent. Participants will most enjoy the remarkable opportunities this expedition offers if they travel with a spirit of adventure.

EXPEDITION LEADERS:

John Yersin
John is a microbiologist who worked in the industry for 33 years investigating the impact of industrial wastes and products on the environment. The tools of his trade included diving, hovercraft piloting, and powerboat driving. He conducted marine, freshwater, and terrestrial surveys and then reported the results. Since retirement, John has done consultant work, taught powerboat handling, and worked as a fitness instructor. His extensive experience in powerboat and Zodiac driving makes John an asset to our team. Having spent a lifetime in environmental sciences, he is a keen environmentalist with some sympathy for industry. John's interests are wide ranging and include swimming and physical fitness, motorbikes, wine tasting, and good food. Any free time is used restoring old bikes and building kit cars.

Kevin Clement
Zegrahm Expeditions Director Kevin Clement is fortunate enough to live within the boundaries of Denali National Park. His specialty is subarctic ecology, but his work as a naturalist and an ecotourism and adventure travel guide has taken him from his home in Alaska to all seven continents. On those rare occasions when he's home, Kevin serves as the Denali Foundation instructor for natural history and as a trainer for the park's staff of naturalists. In 1995 he became a Certification Instructor for the Wilderness Education Association and in 1997 joined the adjunct faculty of the University of Alaska. That same year he initiated an outdoor leadership program for the non-profit Foundation, leading students on month-long backcountry courses. He has lived in several other national parks and has guided groups in whitewater rafts, in sea kayaks, and on foot. He holds certifications in scuba diving, swiftwater rescue, and wilderness medicine, as well as a Coast Guard Master's license. Kevin is also an artist. His first career was as an illustrator, and his work has appeared in various art shows, several times winning juror's or people's choice awards. He never travels without his sketchbook.

Dr. T. H. Baughman
Dr. T.H. Baughman is a professor of history at the University of Central Oklahoma. Tim has taught European history for more than 30 years, and has been leading travelers around the world for 25 years. He is the author of six books, lectures widely on European and polar history, and teaches courses in 20th-century European history. His tales of the history of regions visited bring to life their vibrant story. Tim combines a scholar's rigor with a storyteller's images to describe and explain the past.

Greg Homel
Greg is an ornithologist, award-winning international nature photojournalist, and documentary film producer who operates Natural Encounters Birding-Tours, Inc. and Natural Elements Photo-Video Research, Inc. A birder-naturalist since early childhood, Greg now travels the world on a full-time basis in search of rare and little-known birds and wildlife, which he then brings to the rest of us through his state-of-the-art digital lecture series, television, and publications. At first his work appeared regularly in books and magazines as diverse as Wildbird, The Audubon Society Field Guides to (both) Eastern and Western Birds, Time, Birder's World, Tucson Lifestyle, and Texas Monthly, but since the digital revolution, Greg has moved into television production with the hope of "giving a voice to his truest love, which is the natural world and its inhabitants." Recent documentary work includes a film for Panama's National Association for the Conservation of Nature in the Darien Gap, as well as a 2004 film project for the World Wildlife Fund/Russian Wildlife Authority on the wildlife and culture of the Commander Islands. Since 1990 he has guided, educated, and inspired travelers in over 80 countries throughout the world. Greg has personally seen over 50 percent of the planet's roughly 9,800 bird species in the wild.

Bob Quaccia
Bob chose adventure as a career more than thirty years ago when he became a commercial fisherman in Alaska. He has recently spent three summers as a skiff operator for the Alaska Marine Mammal Observing Program, which has taken him to the remote waters of Kodiak and Yakutat with a focus on sustainability. Bob holds a B.S. in biology with the bulk of his studies in natural history. He is currently the Programs Director for the Rogue Valley Audubon Society and has served on the board for two terms.

Brent S. Stewart
Dr. Brent Stewart is Senior Research Biologist at the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute in San Diego. He has studied the population biology and behavior of marine mammals and seabirds for more than 25 years on research expeditions to places such as Greenland and Iceland, the Indian Ocean, the Bering Sea, and Antarctica’s Southern Ocean. Brent’s chief interest lies in researching the habitats and behaviors of large marine invertebrates. He is a National Fellow of The Explorers Club and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Julie Christensen
During Julie’s tenure leading travelers around the world she has visited all seven continents. Aboard a variety of expedition vessels such as Le Levant, Le Ponant, and the Clipper Odyssey she has traveled to the Russian Far East and Alaska; the numerous countries rimming the Mediterranean, Black, and Baltic Seas; Central America; Micronesia and Melanesia; the Middle East; and India. During several of our past voyages, Julie has been integral to the success of the expedition team due to her calm, decisive, and affable nature. With a special interest in Spanish and Latin American cultures, Julie earned a B.A. in Spanish from Western Washington University. Before officially embarking on a career in adventure travel, Julie biked across the United States; now, when she isn’t traveling, Julie makes her home in Seattle.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: June 18, 2010
Home/Anchorage, Alaska
Independent arrival in Anchorage and check-in at our hotel. In the evening join us for a welcome dinner and briefing.
Overnight: Anchorage

Day 2: June 19, 2010
Anchorage- Nome- Embark Clipper Odyssey
After breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to Nome. With the discovery of gold in 1898, this boomtown’s population swelled to nearly 20,000 miners, furiously panning along 15 miles of beaches that fringe Norton Sound. Today’s town of 5,000 offers a peaceful contrast in the lively legacy reflected in the colorful local saloons and museum displays. We embark the Clipper Odyssey late this afternoon and set sail in the evening.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 3: June 20, 2010
King Island- Arctic Circle
In true expedition style we board Zodiacs and explore the craggy ledges of King Island where we view thousands of least and crested auklets as they make their way from nests to the sea. We also take the opportunity to cross the Arctic Circle at 66°33’N right on the International Date Line—a feat few adventurers can claim.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 4: June 21, 2010
Day Lost Crossing the International Date Line
Day Lost Crossing International Date Line
Clipper Odyssey

Day 5: June 22, 2010
Provideniya, Russia
This morning spend time on deck watching for marine life that thrives in these nutrient rich waters as well as seabirds such as short-tailed shearwaters, northern fulmars, Laysan albatross, and fork-tailed storm petrels. When the weather is clear, the views across the Bering Strait reach to Russia and Alaska. Alternatively enjoy lectures from our staff as they introduce us to the many historic and natural facets of this fascinating region. We go ashore in Provideniya, located at the southern limit of the Arctic ice pack, and the commercial port of this sparsely populated region. During our time here we may tour the regional museum and sail by Plover Bay, the Russian landing site of the Harriman Expedition. When we return to U.S. waters this evening, we gain a day by crossing the International Date Line.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 6: June 22, 2010
Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska
A Siberian Yupik community hosts our visit to St. Lawrence. The hardy locals living on this windswept pebbly spit subsist on the bounty of the sea. As we walk through the village, we see walrus hides stretched on drying racks, later to be fashioned into skin boats, or umiaks. During a performance of traditional dances, note that the accompanying drums are made of stretched walrus stomach skin. Birders enjoy a brisk hike to seek the red-necked phalarope, long-tailed duck, yellow and white wagtail, and, possibly, the rare emperor goose.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 7: June 23, 2010
Hall and St. Matthew Islands
Harriman Expedition participant Louis Fuertes collected bird specimens at Hall Island, which he found to be an ornithologist’s paradise. Walrus have occasionally been spotted here, and we keep a lookout during Zodiac excursions, passing by arches, waterfalls, and sea stacks packed with birds. Fascinating geological formations trademark the deserted island of St. Matthew, a result of cooling igneous volcanic rock. Countless numbers of thick-billed murres, black- legged kittiwakes, fulmars, and puffins call the cliffs and columns their seasonal home. Enjoy a walk through meadows of blooming pink and yellow louseworts and blue Jacob’s ladder. We may spot the rare McKay’s bunting, which breeds here; Arctic foxes scurrying along the hillsides; and endemic St. Matthew singing voles scampering among the rocks.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 8: June 24, 2010
St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands
Due south in the Bering Sea lies the tiny archipelago comprising the five Pribilof Islands. They were discovered in 1786 by the Russian explorer Gerassim Pribilof who successfully located what he was hoping to find: fur seals by the thousands, which the Russians later harvested nearly to extinction. Today, the northern fur seal is protected and cannot be hunted commercially. The Pribilof breeding population now numbers more than 700,000. Bird colonies abound, with some 225 species recorded in the islands. St. Paul is home to 800 Aleuts, the largest such community in the world. Enjoy a stroll through town, then walk among a profusion of tundra wildflowers, watching for Arctic foxes often spotted here. Zodiac excursions and walks to the edge of the cliffs reveal birds by the thousands—horned and tufted puffins; red-legged kittiwakes; red-faced cormorants; and crested, least, and parakeet auklets.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 9: June 25, 2010
St. George Island
We explore the small town of St. George whose residents include about 150 people of Aleut and Russian descent. A picturesque Russian Orthodox Church commands a vista of the Bering Sea, and a cliff-top blind provides a remarkable view of a fur seal rookery. More parakeet auklets breed on St. George than anywhere else, and the nearly quarter million nesting red-legged kittiwakes make up 98 percent of the world’s population.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 10: June 26, 2010
Dutch Harbor- Unalaska Island- Baby Islands
Dutch Harbor was originally used by the North American Commercial Company to process fur seal pelts. Today, it is the busiest fishing and processing port in Alaska. Deck hands on purse seiners mend their nets; factory trawlers offload tons of king crab and pollock. We stroll among WWII relics of the U.S. Army, visit the Museum of the Aleutians and the WWII Historic Center, and view the oldest onion-domed Russian church in Alaska. In the afternoon we sail among the Fox Islands group of the Aleutians, watching for minke whales, the smallest baleen whale in the northern Pacific. The five tiny, volcanic Baby Islands, our day’s final destination, teem with puffins and whiskered auklets.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 11: June 27, 2010
Otter Cove, Unimak Island- High Island
After breakfast we board Zodiacs and head for the largest Aleutian island, Unimak, which is ringed by sandy beaches, carpeted in flowering tundra, and crowned by the Shishaldin Volcano. This is the only island in the Aleutians with a population of brown bears. Enjoy one of several walks offered today, from beach explorations to a tundra hill walk with stupendous views. As we cruise the coast of High Island this afternoon, watch for the thousands of horned and tufted puffins along its cliffs.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 12: June 28, 2010
Unga Island- Shumagin Islands
We anchor at Unga Island today; its multiple bays offer excellent Zodiac opportunities to spot sea otters and birds, including peregrine falcons. Ashore, we enjoy botanizing amid fields of wildflowers and spongy tundra. Scattered pieces of multicolored petrified wood are remnants of an ancient meta-sequoia forest, evidence that the region once enjoyed a warmer climate. In the evening search for whales in these waters famed for seasonal migrations as we head toward the Semidi Islands.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 13: June 29, 2010
Semidi Islands
We sail the length of the Alaska Peninsula today, a stunning, nearly uninhabited wilderness, stopping to investigate islands and coves. The Semidi Islands are home to two and a-half million birds. We make a Zodiac landing to walk on a small, sandy beach covered in driftwood sea-carved into intriguing silvery shapes. Also by Zodiac, we trace the shores of Aghiyuk Island, home to huge colonies of seabirds: northern fulmars, common murres, and blacklegged kittiwakes.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 14: June 30, 2010
Geographic Harbor- Katmai National Park and Preserve
Nearly hidden at the far reaches of Amalik Bay, Geographic Harbor is surrounded by magnificent volcanic scenery (access through the narrow entrance of the harbor is tidal dependent). We cruise the area by Zodiac, watching for brown bears that dig for clams along the beaches at low tide.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 15: July 1, 2010
Kodiak, Kodiak Island
We dock at the town of Kodiak, a bustling port settled by Russian fur traders in 1784. By 1792, Alexander Baranof established the town as the first capital of Russia’s North American colonies. We visit the 1794 Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox church, with its prominent blue onion domes, and Erskine House, a National Historic Landmark built in 1809 and now housing the Kodiak Baranof Museum. Exhibits in the Alutiiq Museum detail the history and culture of these native people who lived here millennia before the Europeans arrived. We cruise toward Seward this afternoon. As we pass islands with steep cliffsides, watch for nesting puffins and cormorants and scan the waters for acrobatic humpback whales and pods of hunting orca, as well as fin and sei whales.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 16: July 2, 2010
Seward- Disembark Clipper Odyssey- Anchorage- Home
We disembark the Clipper Odyssey in Seward and board motor coaches bound for Anchorage and the airport where we connect with independent homeward flights.

CLIPPER ODYSSEY:

The Clipper Odyssey is a 110-passenger luxury vessel, ideally suited for expedition cruising. She carries a fleet of Zodiacs, which allows us to land anywhere nature or curiosity dictates, and a glass-bottom boat, giving us a topside-look at the undersea world. All cabins have an ocean view, safe, minibar, individually controlled heat/air conditioner, in-room music system, and sitting area with sofa. Passengers can track the progress of their voyage on the Global Positioning System broadcast in each cabin. Beds can be configured for twin or queen-size sleeping arrangements. All cabins have an en suite bathroom with shower. The Clipper Odyssey maintains a gourmet kitchen, providing American and international specialties. Facilities on board the Clipper Odyssey include a dining room, lounge, small library and gym, outdoor pool, massage room, and gift shop. An elevator services all passenger cabin decks. The Clipper Odyssey has an infirmary staffed by a registered physician and a sophisticated telecommunications system permitting Internet access and telephone and fax communication with any location around the world. Ship registry: Bahamas.

Departure Dates

2010 Departure Dates:
June 18 to July 2

Prices

2010 Prices:
Category 1: $9,980 per person.
Category 2: $10,780 per person.
Category 3: $11,580 per person.
Category 4: $12,280 per person.
Category 5: $12,980 per person.
Category 6: $13,880 per person.
Suite: $16,880 per person.
Single/Cat. 2: $15,980
Single/Cat. 3: $16,980

Limited singles available at the quoted single rates above. Additional singles may be available at 1.7 times the share rate (suite not applicable).

Inclusions: Accommodations in our hotels and on board Clipper Odyssey as outlined in the itinerary; all onboard meals; all group meals on land; group transfers; services of the expedition staff, including lectures, briefings, slide/film shows; all group activities and excursions; landing and port fees; all gratuities.

Exclusions:All air transportation; excess baggage charges; airport arrival and departure taxes; transfers for independent arrivals and departures; passport and/or visa fees; travel insurance; items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar charges, alcoholic beverages, e-mail/fax/telephone charges.

Trip Information

PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON BOARD THE CLIPPER ODYSSEY

Accounts Onboard
Upon embarkation, a shipboard account is automatically opened for your convenience. The "chit" system is used for all onboard purchases, including bar charges, gift shop purchases, laundry, medical services, communication, etc. You will sign a chit for each purchase, and the amount will be debited to your shipboard account, which is presented for settlement at the end of the voyage. The U.S. dollar is the currency used on board. Cash, traveler's checks, and Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted for payment of shipboard accounts.

Air Conditioning and Heating
The ship is fully air-conditioned and heated throughout with individual controls in each cabin.

Baggage
Baggage is restricted only per the airlines' regulations (See Baggage Allowance section under General Information). We do recommend that you travel with soft luggage, as this is less bulky to store and storage space aboard the ship is limited. Please ensure that your baggage is clearly labeled with your name and home address and attach yellow Zegrahm Expeditions luggage tags, which will be provided with your final documents packet, to each piece of luggage. Our staff will use these tags for easy identification of group passengers and baggage.

Bar
There will be a bar on board stocked with liquor, beer, and wine. Please check the daily program for hours of bartender service. The ship carries a small, but varied, supply of fine wines and champagnes. Upon request, the service staff will be happy to retain unused portions of bottled wines ordered with your meals for consumption at subsequent seatings.

Bridge Visits
The bridge is available to visit most times throughout the day. However, the bridge will be closed to visitors during maneuvers in port, when anchoring, during periods of inclement weather, and at the captains' discretion.

Cabins and Service.
Cabins are serviced daily by your cabin attendant. If you require additional housekeeping service, please advise the reception desk.

All cabins feature an ocean view, two twin lower beds that can be made into a queen-size bed, sitting area with sofa, bathroom with tub and shower, in-room music system and intercom system for announcements, ample wardrobe space, three-sided mirror, personal safe, minibar and small refrigerator, television, and hair dryer.

Contact Information
There are three computers available for use in the Library, which have an Internet connection, via satellite, and can be used to access the web and personal e-mail accounts online. Personal laptops may also be used to access this service. The Library is the only area of the ship that has a wireless Internet connection. Cards can be purchased at Reception to utilize this service. Facilities for incoming and outgoing phone calls and faxes are also available. You will be charged for all personal communication to and from the ship.

Please be aware that due to our often remote location, all communications are subject to the availability of our satellite connection.

Daily Programs
The daily program is distributed to all cabins and posted in common areas every evening on board. The program announces the cruising schedule, lectures, and shore excursions. Weather conditions may, of course, alter the day's intended program.

Dietary Needs
Special dietary foods can be provided, but we must be notified in writing on the Personal Information Form. The galley is equipped to prepare or serve most special dietary foods except kosher cuisine.

Dining and Meals
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the dining room on the A-Deck. A light buffet breakfast and lunch are also served in the Lido Lounge on the Lido Deck, with limited seating available in the adjacent Lido Bar during pleasant weather for passengers wishing to dine outside. Dinner is served only in the dining room on the A-Deck, and all dinners are prepared individually. The dining room accommodates all passengers in one seating. Table service is provided for all evening meals, and all of our meals will be open seating. Coffee, tea, and juice are available 24 hours a day in the Lido Lounge.

Electricity
The electricity on board runs at 110 volts, and outlets take standard, U.S. flat-prong plugs.

Elevator
An elevator services all passenger decks from the A-Deck to the Sun Deck.

Exercise Facilities
A gym is located on the Bridge Deck. Current equipment consists of a universal exercise machine, free weights, elliptical trainer, stationary bikes (one recumbent, one normal), and a treadmill. A 70-meter, dedicated jogging track is located on the uppermost Sun Deck.

Gift Shop
A shop stocked with gift items and toiletries is located adjacent to the Lido Lounge on the Lido Deck. There is a limited range of goods mainly local items, T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, souvenirs, film, and basic toiletries. Hours of operation are posted in the daily program, and purchases will be debited to your shipboard account.

Gratuities
All gratuities for onboard staff and crew are included in the cost of the expedition.

Hair Dryer
Each cabin is equipped with a hair dryer.

Hair Salon
The ship does not offer hair cutting or hair styling services.

Identification Badges
Electronic ID badges with your name and a barcode will be provided for all participants. Upon embarkation, a digital photograph will be taken and matched to your barcode number. This identification badge all you will need to disembark and reboard the ship. When disembarking for landings or Zodiac cruises, your pass must be scanned. Upon return to the ship, your card will be scanned again and your identity verified. Passengers will not be allowed to embark the ship without a badge.

In addition to verifying that all passengers are safely on board before sailing to our next destination, this system assists us in ensuring that no unauthorized individuals board the ship.

Laundry
Basic laundry service is available on board. Please allow 24 hours turn-around time, although laundry picked up in the morning will usually be available the afternoon of the same day. Prices will be posted on board, and charges will be debited to your shipboard account, payable at the end of the voyage.

Lectures
Our onboard staff will present a series of informative lectures during the voyage. We plan to provide a lecture series that will cover all features of our expedition and the surrounding environment. These presentations are an integral part of this expedition and are designed to lend greater depth and understanding to your travel experience.

Library
A library is located on the Main Deck with books and games available for public use.

Mail
The purser handles the mailing of passengers' letters and postcards during the voyage. Postage rates and mailing instructions will be posted at reception. Mail will be sent when the ship is in port. Postage fees will be debited to your shipboard account, payable at the end of the voyage.

Massage
There is a massage therapist onboard offering personalized massages. Hours and prices will be posted onboard.

Medical Services and Special Needs
Facilities may not be available for the physically challenged traveler. If you have special needs, please contact our office directly.

A qualified physician will be on board throughout the voyage. Any applicable fees for services rendered on board will be debited to your shipboard account and presented for settlement at the end of the voyage.

Passengers requiring special medications should bring sufficient quantities to last the duration of the expedition. If you are under regular treatment for any ailment or disease, you should bring a summarized medical history as well. It is essential that persons with any medical problems and related dietary restrictions inform us well before departure so we may brief the ship's staff accordingly.

If you use a hearing aid that might be turned off at night or would otherwise require special assistance in case of an emergency, please advise the reception desk at the time of boarding.

Passports
Passports will be collected upon embarkation and returned at the end of the voyage. Please bring a photocopy of your passport's information page with you to be used for currency exchange and identification on our landings.

Safety at Sea
Safety at sea is of utmost importance aboard this ship. All officers are trained in emergency procedures, and regular drills are held to instruct the crew in their emergency duties. By international law, passengers must participate in a lifeboat drill within 24 hours of sailing. Upon embarkation, all passengers will be requested to locate their life jacket in their cabin and note their lifeboat and muster station. This mandatory lifeboat drill will be scheduled as soon as is convenient for the expedition leader and captain.

Life preservers are mandatory on Zodiac excursions. All passengers must have their life preserver secured properly before leaving the ship to board the Zodiac.

While the ship is your temporary home, it is also a mobile one, and it is essential that you take certain safety precautions. Here are some basic rules:
· Always turn on lights before moving about in a dark cabin.
· Walk, never run, aboard the ship, and be extra careful when walking on wet or icy decks.
· Wear shoes with slip-resistant soles, especially when walking on deck.
· Avoid large, open areas during rough weather, especially outside decks and the bridge. Do not move about unnecessarily.
· During particularly rough weather hold on to handrails in stairways, be very careful in the bathroom, never hold a door by its frame in case the ship's movement causes the door to close on your hand, and secure all baggage in your cabin and any loose items in your bathroom or on shelves, bureaus, or desks.

Shipboard Amenities
Shipboard facilities include a small library, gym, outdoor swimming pool, lounge, infirmary, and gift shop.

Smoking Policy
Smoking is permitted outside on deck in designated areas only. There is a no-smoking policy throughout the interior of the ship. When smoking on outside decks, please do not throw cigarettes over the side of the ship.

Valuables
Please try and leave any nonessential valuables at home. Zegrahm Expeditions is not responsible for the loss or theft of any jewelry, cash, etc. You are encouraged to use the personal safe is provided in each cabin.

Water
The ship's water supply provides potable water, but passengers are asked to practice conservation at all times.

Zodiacs
Zodiacs are the favored means of transportation, and the ship has a fleet that will be used for landings in suitable areas. Their flat-bottom design permits these craft to land directly onto beaches. You can expect, nonetheless, to wade through shallow surf to reach the shore during wet landings.

Zodiacs cruise at an approximate speed of four knots and in windy weather can make for rather splashy rides. We therefore recommend wearing wet-weather gear for Zodiac transfers, and life preservers are absolutely mandatory. You will be given a briefing on the safe use of these boats. Please see the section Proper Use of Zodiacs for further information about procedures during Zodiac landings.