Welcome to BrashTalk #35
The Newsletter of the PTGA
In this issue:
- Opening Message
- Updates
- Arctic Pre-Season Summit: Please complete our survey
- April PTGA Assessor Training Course
- Tribute to Ben Wallis
- Scuttlebutt
- Thank you to our Focus Group
- New Guano Happens Compilation
- Kite Optics Pro Deal in Action
- Upcoming WFA and WFR courses
- University of Tasmania Research Survey
- Guano Happens
- By Jove, We’re Stuck in a Cove
- PTGA 10 Years
- Interviews with Graham Charles, Sophie Ballagh & Francois Havenga
- PTGA Guide Status Updates
Opening Message
As the Antarctic season is nearing the end, I hope everyone is finding some time to recharge before the next contract begins. Our first newsletter of 2026 is a significant one and it reflects a high-momentum start to this year.
Later this week, I’ll be in Lisbon, Portugal as the PTGA hosts the first open-industry Expedition Leadership Development Course in partnership with Nivation and staffed by leading guide educators from the industry. The course has a full cohort of candidates representing several operators. I’m looking forward to witness the insights they’ll uncover together over the course of three full days.
Following this course, we move into the AECO/IAATO Polar Field Staff Conference in collaboration with the PTGA. Thanks to all of you who signed up with your operator or individually – the conference is full with over 100 attendees. For those who could not attend this time around, we’ll be doing our best to share updates and key takeaways from the event.
As the PTGA approaches its tenth year, our focus is on the future. The feedback from our membership survey and focus group is shaping our strategic plan. We are now nearing 800 members (!) and your support is what allows us to sustain the certification program and resources that professionalize our industry.
Thanks so much for your continued support. Hope you enjoy this edition of BrashTalk.
All the best,
Sarah
Updates
On 16 April 2026 at 19:00 UTC, the PTGA will be hosting an online Pre-Season Summit before many of us head north to the Arctic. We have a few ideas, but we want to make sure that this summit event is relevant to guides’ interests, concerns and questions.
Please help us out by answering the questions in this form.
Watch your inbox for a ‘Save the Date’ email as soon as we finalize details.
This is your chance to vote on what will be discussed as well as suggest your own questions and nominate panelists (link available here).
Spots left in the next Open PTGA Assessor Training Course!
We have 3 spots remaining for our next Assessor Training Course from
9 – 10 April 2026 in Bozeman, Montana, USA.
Contact Graham here if you are interested in joining the course.
AECO Updates
AECO will host a Resources and Tools webinar on 30 April at 15:00 – 16:00 CEST
Registration: AECO website Tools and Resources | AECO.
Ben Wallis
It is with a heavy heart we pay tribute to our friend and colleague, Ben Wallis. Ben passed away earlier this month in Antarctica, a place he dearly loved and to which he gave so much of himself. Thank you to Colby, our PTGA Board Chair, for sharing this thoughtful tribute.
Ben was among the most capable and inspiring polar guides many of us will ever know. He was also a steadfast proponent of the PTGA since its inception a decade ago, and a firm believer in our mission. He served on the yacht committee for IAATO and was an active member in the Antarctic community for more than 20 years.
Ben was well known as skipper of the 23m ice-classed motor sailer Australis. He had a relationship with her that only a sailor could understand. Ben knew what it meant to be “one” with ship and crew, as he confidently pushed into the margins of what is possible in Antarctica.
Passion is the word that comes most readily when speaking of Ben. Antarctica coursed through his veins. He was steadfast in his convictions and approached both his work and his relationships with honesty and directness. Anyone who knew him would have recognized his deep commitment, strong character, and unmistakable presence. He was above all a man of huge heart, with much love for his friends.
Every expedition meant something to Ben and he conducted his work with purpose and conviction. Each season, he chose to support a complement of trips that reflected his values:
- He facilitated scientific research onboard Australis that changed the way that we understand Antarctica, from benthic communities and seabirds to seals, humpbacks and orca. Some of these programs included findings that contributed to policy-making decisions like creating geofenced areas on the peninsula, and supporting early efforts to measure the impact of HPAI on the Antarctic Peninsula.
- He hosted world-class filming expeditions with organizations like Disney and BBC to help bring the story of Antarctica to those who could not visit.
- Ben also believed in conservation tourism and its ability to strengthen advocacy and fundraising for Antarctic initiatives. He had a long-standing partnership with Natural Habitat Adventures, inspiring traveler philanthropy in support of baleen whale research, krill fishery management, and creation of marine protected areas.
We can all see some of ourselves in Ben in his relationship to Antarctica and our work in the expedition world. His legacy lives on through his decades of work in the Southern Ocean. I know that many of us will be thinking of him on our next trip down south, where he will undoubtedly be watching over us, flashing a mischievous smile and eating his favorite chocolate mousse.
Fair winds and following seas, buddy.
Thank you to our Focus Group participants!
A huge thank you to our members who joined the focus group in January! Your insights were incredibly valuable. We are already acting on member feedback from both the Membership Survey and the Focus Group sessions. Check out one of our immediate action items below!
New Guano Happens Compilation!
One of your top requests in the membership survey and focus group was an update to the Guano Happens compilation and it’s officially here!
You can find the latest edition on our website by navigating to:
For Guides > Resources for Guides > Guano Happens
Kite Optics Pro Deal in Action!
Utilizing a pair of APC Stabilized 16×42 stabilized binoculars at Elephant Island, Antarctica
What is Kite Optics?
Kite Optics is a Belgian company specializing in high-precision optical instruments for nature observation, such as binoculars, spotting scopes, and telescopes.
PTGA Members receive 30% off on purchases of stabilized optics, plus free shipping on orders over €150
With your first purchase, you’ll automatically become a Kite Optics Brand Promoter, unlocking even more benefits including:
- A personalized 10% discount code to share with customers
- An annual 10% commission on all sales made through your code
- Top-performing Brand Promoters may even be rewarded with free new products in the future
This partnership offers incredible value!
Learn more about this on our PTGA Kite Optics Pro-Deal page in the Members Only section of the website. Please note, when entering the Kite Optics site, the discount code only works on https://kiteoptics.com/, NOT usa.kiteoptics.com.
Product Review from PTGA Area of Resources Manager, Alexandra Hansen
Utilizing a pair of APC Stabilized 16×42 stabilized binoculars at Deception Island
I’ve been lucky enough to test out a pair of Kite Optics stabilized binoculars (APC Stabilized 16×42), and can happily report that they’ve become a piece of gear I use constantly out in the field. I rely on them for scouting potential landing sites, observing wildlife and enjoying the surrounding landscapes.
One of the standout features is the advanced stabilization (which you can turn on and off). Once switched on, the image settles almost immediately. It removes the small shake you normally get with regular binoculars, making it much easier to pick out details – especially when on a zodiac or dealing with windy conditions.
Crossing Latitudes Upcoming Courses
For those interested in updating your first aid or wilderness first responder course, the team at Crossing Latitudes has several upcoming courses before you start your Arctic season.
- Wilderness First Responder (WFR) in Flåm, Norway: 09 – 19 April 2026
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Flåm, Norway: 24 – 26 April 2026
- Wilderness First Responder Recertification (WFRR) in Flåm, Norway: 24 – 26 April 2026
For more information you can check out their website here or contact the team by email here.
Research Survey:
Good Leadership in Extreme Places: An Antarctic Case Study
You are invited to participate in a research study exploring good leadership in extreme places, with a focus on Antarctic expedition tourism. This study is part of a PhD project at the University of Tasmania and aims to understand how leadership and followership are enacted and co-created in expedition settings (ethics approval: H40189).
You can review the information sheet and provide consent electronically via this link before proceeding to the questionnaire.
Survey closing date: 10 May 2026
We would also appreciate it if you could share this invitation with colleagues or others in your professional networks who may be eligible to take part.
If you have any questions, please contact the research team: hinfong.leong@utas.edu.au, toby.newstead@utas.edu.au, elizabeth.leane@utas.edu.au, hanne.nielsen@utas.edu.au
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Your input will contribute valuable insights into leadership and followership practices in extreme places.
Guano Happens
“By Jove, We’re Stuck in a Cove”
This edition of Guano Happens comes to us courtesy of the Chilean fiords. While not strictly polar it does come from a PTGA guide and the complexity of events and actions taken are worth sharing and we appreciate the narrative.
It was my second time zodiac cruising around this island in Patagonia. From previous experience, I knew that a few incidents had occurred in this location due to crashing waves and the high concentration of kelp near the island. On this day, however, the conditions were about as good as they get: no clouds, no wind, and only a very gentle swell near the island. Nothing indicated a particularly high-risk operation.
It was the first day of our week-long voyage in Patagonia, and the location is known for good wildlife viewing.
During the first half hour of the cruise, we enjoyed watching sea lions and spotted a few Magellanic penguins high in the tussock grass. The guests were slightly disappointed that the penguins were not closer. After turning a corner to the other side of the island, I spotted a nice group of Magellanic penguins on the shore of a small cove, but just before the entrance to the cove, waves were breaking, which clearly indicated shallower water.
Knowing there was some risk, I told my guests that I would try to approach as closely as possible so they could take photos, but that I would not enter the cove. As we approached, I asked the two guests sitting closest to the bow to help me check the depth. Everything seemed fine initially, and the guests were able to take some nice photos from where we were positioned.
A larger set of waves suddenly came in and carried our boat into the shallows, turning our stern toward the beach. In less than a minute, we were stranded on the shore. This was the first zodiac cruise of the trip, and I had given the guests an extensive MOB briefing earlier, so I asked them to grab the paddles and prepare to paddle. I radioed my cruising partner to request assistance and jumped out of the boat to try to push it back into deeper water while my guests paddled. Meanwhile, my partner attempted to approach the cove, but I knew that if she came too close, she might end up in the same situation. I radioed her and told her to stay away. She assessed the situation and called base and requested an empty boat to assist with towing us out. While waiting, she began watching the wave sets and called out when a larger wave passed under her boat so I’d be ready to push at the right moment.
The Expedition Leader, who was on the bridge, heard the radio conversation and asked another experienced driver to assess whether towing would be possible. That guide and I discussed how we could perform a towing operation without putting their boat or guests at risk. The cove was quite long, and it was not possible to use a single throw bag. After assessing the options, I decided to walk over a rocky outcrop to reach a position where they could throw me a line and by connecting it to my throw line and then attaching both lines to my bowline, we were able to successfully secure a very long but functional tow line. We knew there was a risk of snapping the line, so they tried pulling very carefully.
After three pulling attempts, they managed to get us back to deeper water. Throughout the operation, the guests remained calm and were even excited by the situation. A few waves had splashed into the boat while we were stranded, and they did get slightly wet but didn’t seem bothered by it.
Once we were safely back in deeper water, the Expedition Leader arrived with an empty boat and two additional staff members wearing waders. They decided to transfer our guests to the cleaner boat so they could inspect ours. We also had some of the excess throw line wrapped in our propeller, which needed to be cleared. After transferring all the guests and checking how they felt, all guests wanted to continue with the cruise.
The GH Review
It is acknowledged there was no immediate danger to the guests on the stranded boat, as it was already beached and the guide offered these astute insights:
Guide: as an experienced driver in challenging conditions, I was aware of the potential risks and should have taken more time to assess the crashing waves and surf before approaching the cove. The breaking waves clearly indicated shallow water, but I underestimated the strength of the wave sets because I was eager to give my guests a closer experience with the Magellanic penguins. Especially in locations I do not visit frequently, I should take a more conservative approach.
GH: It’s a fair call. Anywhere you see or suspect breaking waves you need time to observe. Sets are called ‘sets’ for a reason, they don’t manifest all of the time.
An ‘eagerness to please’ hints possibly at the Scarcity heuristic clouding judgment. The Scarcity heuristic is a cognitive bias where people place a higher value on opportunities that are perceived as rare, limited, or difficult to obtain. Driven by the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the desire to avoid losing access to resources, this mental shortcut often leads to irrational, impulsive, or emotional decisions rather than considered judgment.
Keep in mind that ‘surprise’ waves have featured in a number of industry near misses, incidents and fatalities. It is increasingly difficult to support the ‘surprise’ or ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ justification. Develop your wave awareness, talk to people with more experience, read and review PTGA resources and material on the topic – we can do better, we must do better.
Guide: We found ourselves in a difficult scenario where there was no easy way to tow the boat due to the surf zone and the risk of the assisting boat also becoming stranded. Although we managed the situation with the resources available, it may have been better to wait for the empty boat rather than involving a second boat with guests and exposing them to unnecessary risk.
GH: This is difficult to judge. The actions taken showed resourceful ideas well considered and this is highly encouraged for guides in remote locations.
Guide: I also should have been more attentive about the excess throw line being wrapped in the propeller.
GH: It’s a fair call and a common phenomenon in crisis resolution; the ‘solution’ to a problem is working and situational awareness drops off the peripheral operations involved. When involved in a rescue, retain constant vigilance on all parts of the operation.
Many thanks for sharing. If you have a near miss or incident story to share for the Guano Happens Review we’d love to hear from you.
To celebrate 10 years of our professional industry association, we’ve brought together three distinct voices from our history. We talk about legacy with founder Graham Charles, the art of assessment with Sophie Ballagh, and the experience of building a career within the PTGA framework with Francois Havenga.
Graham Charles
PTGA: In the early days, launching an independent assessment body was a bold move that challenged the status quo. Looking back over the last ten years, was there a specific moment where you felt the tide turn, a point where you realized that the PTGA had shifted from something new to adopt to an important part of the industry?
Graham: There have been plenty of building block successes through the whole journey of the PTGA. I think Covid forced a lot of people to rethink the industry, their involvement in it and what it means to be a professional polar guide. Post Covid we saw a number of long-career guides leave the industry and a huge rebound growth in pax numbers with the resultant need for a lot of guides. These two things put a lot of pressure on companies to hire new staff who were new to the industry. I think the structure and transparency of the PTGA qualifications framework and the simple but robust assessment process was very attractive to guides and companies in this post-Covid World.
Moving forward from our tenth year I believe the industry really needs to stop using not-for-purpose proxy standards and consider the fact that we have a set of well used and tested industry standards specific to this industry and embrace this for the integrity, unity of the entire industry and to show higher authorities we have matured as an industry and can be trusted to keep taking people to the polar regions in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
PTGA: When you look at where the organization sits today, what have been the most rewarding outcomes for you along the way?
Graham: Ten years is a lot to review in a short answer. I clearly remember reaching 100 members and thinking things were going great and this whole idea had potential. Now as we approach 800 members it is very satisfying to see the development that PTGA and the wider industry has embraced.
Other key highlights:
- Seeing companies create role-specific PTGA Assessor positions within the
expedition team and be able to undertake workplace-based assessments as they should have been designed.
- Seeing the attendance and uptake of our Pre Season Forums and other guide-community initiatives and the positive feedback we get from aspirant and existing guides is very rewarding.
- The growth of our Training and Assessment Providers (TAPs) was a
development I didn’t predict and it is fantastic to see them thrive.
- The positive people I meet in the street in Ushuaia, at meetings and conferences
and on vessels who are excited about their PTGA journey, excited about representing what it is to be a professional guide and who tell me this industry ‘really’ needed a guide standards body is always gratifying.
- Being able to move out of the lead role in 2025 and hand control to an incredibly able Executive Director (Sarah Merusi) has been very satisfying. At the beginning of this journey I told myself I had to be ‘in it for the long haul’. I knew this sort of change would take time and that I’d give it ten years. It’s been that and the organization is in great hands with our executive team.
- I love seeing or hearing from people who have studied hard and prepared well for their assessment and then they fly through it with loads of positive feedback.
Graham has been working in the polar regions for over 25 years as a Senior Polar Guide and Expedition Leader. He has been assessing professional outdoor skills and teaching people how-to-teach for over 40 years. Graham is the Founder and current Program Director of the PTGA. He is tasked with developing syllabi and working with guides and assessors to support the PTGA mission. He is a Senior Assessor as well as a qualified guide and instructor in mountaineering, avalanche safety, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing and works with the Leadership Program at Wharton Business School developing their expedition model of leadership training. His career includes world-firsts such as sea kayaking the Antarctic Peninsula and circumnavigating South Georgia.
Sophie Ballagh
PTGA: You’ve had a unique vantage point from the early days of refining PTGA syllabi to now seeing them applied in the field as a PTGA Assessor. How do you think the baseline for a polar guide has evolved over the years and are you seeing a higher level of professional intentionality in today’s candidates?
Sophie: When we first began shaping PTGA, there was no clear baseline for a polar guide. Entry into the industry was largely relational. If someone knew you and trusted you, you got the job. From there, you learned on the fly. That model produced some exceptional guides. But it was inconsistent. Especially as the industry was growing. There was no shared language around competence, no agreed framework for what “good” looked like, and no transparent pathway for emerging guides to prepare themselves intentionally.
What has shifted over the last decade is significant. I’ve had complete strangers reach out to me and say, “I want to do this properly. How do I prepare? What should I be working on now so that I’m desirable to operators?” That question simply didn’t exist fifteen years ago. Today, candidates don’t just hope for an opportunity – they build toward one.
Operators understand that everyone has to start somewhere, so polar experience is not always required. But preparedness is. First aid qualifications. A clear area of expertise, whether that’s kayaking, marine mammals, Geography, history, interpretation, photography, glaciology. Increasingly, small craft licenses and boat driving experience are expected, and in some contexts mandatory. More importantly, there is intentionality. Often guides now arrive for their first season having thought about risk. They understand human factors. They are aware of environmental protocols. They see themselves not just as adventure facilitators, but as custodians of fragile ecosystems and ambassadors for wildlife. And this evolution is not just nice to have, it is necessary.
The polar tourism industry is growing rapidly. More ships, more landings, more people stepping into some of the most delicate environments on Earth. The baseline absolutely had to lift. A stronger foundation protects guests safety, and enhances their experience. It protects crew. It protects wildlife. It protects the integrity of the experience and industry itself.
PTGA: From my vantage point as an assessor, I absolutely see a higher level of professionalism and self-awareness in today’s candidates. There is humility, an understanding that the environment is bigger than you, but there is also preparation. That combination is powerful.
Sophie: PTGA helped create a shared standard. And in doing so, it helped move polar guiding from something you “fell into” toward something you consciously train for. That is a shift worth celebrating.
PTGA: Over the last decade, what is one lesson you’ve learned from a PTGA Assessment candidate or a colleague that fundamentally changed your own approach to working in the polar regions?
Sophie: It’s less one single candidate and more the collective energy of people who are deeply committed to learning. Sitting in assessment environments year after year, surrounded by candidates who are actively sharpening themselves, refining boat handling, upgrading first aid, studying interpretation, understanding wildlife behavior, questioning their own decision-making, has been quietly powerful.
What strikes me is coming back to that same word I use above – the intentionality of learning and growing. These are people who are not drifting into polar guiding. They are growing toward it. They are investing in themselves. They are seeking feedback. They are hungry to improve.
And that is always a nice reminder to me, that none of us ever “arrive.”
No matter how many seasons you’ve done, how many landings you’ve led, no matter your role, complacency is the real risk in polar environments. Growth has to be continuous. Being around candidates who are stretching themselves keeps me stretching too.
Sophie Ballagh has spent the past fourteen years working in the polar regions as a kayak guide, expedition guide, naturalist and expedition leader across Antarctica, the High Arctic and sub-Antarctic environments. An inaugural PTGA board member and current PTGA Assessor, she is a dedicated advocate for professional standards and environmental stewardship within the polar tourism industry. While she now manages several purpose-driven businesses in Australia, Sophie remains an active field guide known for her calm decision-making and deep operational expertise.
Francois Havenga
PTGA: Compared to the early days of the industry where guides may have learned through trial-and-error, you’ve had the PTGA framework as a roadmap since your early days in the polar regions. How did having the framework support your growth and development in this industry?
Francois: When I joined the industry there were many highly experienced guides with an enormous depth of knowledge. As someone new to the field, it could be quite overwhelming. The PTGA framework provided structure and clarity at a time when I needed it most. It helped me understand what competencies were expected of a professional polar guide and where I currently stood within that progression.
More importantly, it helped reveal the gaps in my own knowledge. The framework highlighted areas I had not yet encountered or fully understood – the things you do not yet realise you need to learn. That awareness allowed me to focus my development intentionally. Instead of simply learning through trial and error, I could identify specific skills and knowledge areas to improve and seek guidance from the right people.
In that sense, the PTGA framework accelerated my development. It provided a professional standard to work toward and helped me ask more informed questions, which ultimately allowed me to reach operational competence much more quickly.
PTGA: Having started in the polar tourism industry within this professionalised era, what advice would you give to a new guide starting their first season in 2026?
Francois: The most important advice is to remain humble. Polar guiding involves far more than many people initially realise. There are operational, environmental, interpretive and safety elements all happening at once, and it takes time to understand how these pieces fit together.
Observe experienced guides carefully and learn from everyone around you. Good examples are valuable, but so are situations where things do not work well. Both provide lessons that shape how you will guide in the future.
It is also important to ask questions. Even if you believe you understand a task, confirm it. Small details in polar operations matter, and clarification prevents mistakes.
Finally, treat constructive feedback as a sign that someone is investing in your development. Not every piece of feedback will be correct or applicable, but it is worth listening carefully. Consider it, sift through it, and decide what improves your practice. That mindset will accelerate your growth far more than trying to prove that you already know everything.
Francois Havenga is an Expedition Field Staff Trainer, photographer, and Senior Polar Guide with extensive experience guiding in both Antarctica and the Arctic. A PTGA Senior Polar Guide and Assessor, Wilderness First Responder, and PADI IDC Staff Instructor, he specialises in zodiac operations, field safety, and professional training in remote environments. Drawing on a background in dive professional education and expedition operations, he focuses on developing skilled, confident expedition teams through structured training and mentorship.
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