This experience in Antarctica will knock your socks off

There's something very special about seeing this continent at sea level, from a kayak.

SITTING atop the freezing sea water in my little yellow kayak, I ponder: is this how the world's most famous explorers - Mawson, Scott, Shackleton - felt as they adventured into the unknown?

There is just untouched nature as far as the eye can see. Icebergs as big as houses. A flock of seabirds here, flopping penguins there, humpback whales just beyond. In the glassy conditions, just the ethereal sound of the kayak carving through crackling ice.

But hang on - is that the jaunty tunes of Celebration, by Kool & the Gang?

There's a party goin' on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years. So bring your good times and your laughter, too ... Yahoo!

It is! Suddenly - and surreally - a party boat has pulled up alongside my kayak. Incongruously, the Zodiac is packed with singing, dancing, laughing Silversea staffers proffering hot chocolates, cookies and champagne.

What a special and unique thrill, discovering Antarctica from sea level. But the party boat is a jolting reminder that without the help and expertise of a luxury cruise line, we'd likely be dead in minutes.

To get here, we have had a lengthy education session and, for the sub-zero temperatures, donned super-duper drysuits, booties, jackets, gloves, beanies and life vests. Our small group of 10 is led by two experienced guides with top-of-the-range equipment.

Still, it feels so adventurous and intrepid. We explore ice tunnels and whip around glowing blue icebergs, secretly spy on hundreds of seabirds devouring a washed up whale carcass and fondle ice crystals that may be 100 years old or more.

And then - "Orcas!" shrieks my husband, pointing to a black and white pod approaching us more gracefully and cutely than you would imagine of these killer whale predators. Even the crew gets excited about this development - they radio back to advise those ship-stuck-suckers to get out the binoculars.

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In Foyn Harbor by Enterprise Island, off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, we can almost touch the shipwreck of the Guvernoren. Lead kayak guide Tyler Stern (fun fact: he proposed to his partner in Antarctica) tells us the story of how the cattle carrier turned floating whale factory sank in January 1915. It caught fire when someone - an overly-exuberant dancer is suggested in some of the accounts - knocked over a lamp during an end-of-mission party, just when it was filled with an entire season's worth of flammable whale oil. All of the 84 revellers survived.

There are other signs of humans. Behind the rusty shipwreck, a snowy slope has the telltale trails of skis snaking all the way down. (Yes, you can ski in Antarctica - some cruise lines such as Aurora Expeditions even offer it as an activity. It's expensive, you need special gear and good fitness, and it can be a little windy and icy - and it's probably the best skier brag you'll ever find.)

Where: Kayaking is an optional and free activity on Silversea Expeditions cruises - I was aboard Silversea Endeavour. Expedition leaders may request some experience in kayaking. You need to attend an orientation session and sign up the night before ... and cross your fingers that conditions are good enough to launch the kayaks.

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The writer was a guest of Silversea.