At the end of the austral summer, photographer Greg Lecoeur, freediver Guillaume Nery, and cameraman Florian Fisher board a small sailboat, bound for the white continent. From Tierra del Fuego to the Antarctic Peninsula, their journey is strewn with unexpected adventures.

Within the sailboat’s minuscule interior that is packed to the gills, they get their equipment ready and prepare for their dives. The goal is to plunge into the icy waters of the planet’s most hostile ecosystem, to bear witness to its beauty and fragility.

In close proximity to icebergs, and in extreme weather conditions, they document exceptional underwater fauna: whales, penguins, sea lions, seals – while their ultimate quest is to meet the lord of the ice kingdom: The Sea Leopard.

But this pristine part of the world is one of the regions most affected by climate change, and the accelerated melting of ice is leading to a series of disruptions that directly threaten the biodiversity here.

Through breathtaking photographs, Antarctica opens our minds to the challenges of humanity, the exhilaration of fulfilling one’s dreams, and the future of a precious ecosystem at risk.