'Leave nothing': Why this lawyer has travelled to Antarctica 40 times

His true passion lay elsewhere.

A love for photography and the globe's polar regions was shaped by extensive travel after his studies finished, during which time he says he formed an affinity with mountains, snow and ice.

He first visited Antarctica in 2007 as a photographer on an expedition ship and has since been more than 40 times as a photographer, guide and expedition leader.

Mr Sinclair moved to Tasmania, often referred to as the gateway to Antarctica, six years ago and has since established an Antarctic tourism business, Islands & Ice Travel, to share the travel experience more broadly.

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"It's really great to be able to meld my experience as a lawyer and in the business world, and as a guide, a photographer and my passion for Antarctica," he said.

"I still find it mind-blowing to go there; it is just a wonderful, wonderful place to visit and it's an extraordinary privilege.

"There's nothing else like it on planet Earth.

"You go to the Antarctic Peninsula on the vessels, and the concentration of wildlife is huge, the icebergs are immense, the colours, the mountains everything about it is fantastic."

He said tourism to Antarctica had grown threefold since he first visited when about 40,000 people went the icy continent on average a year.

Now more than 120,000 visit annually, with the vast majority to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Mr Sinclair said visitor growth had somewhat compromised the experience but visitors still have an incredible time.

Travel to Antarctica from Tasmania by sea was considerably more time-consuming and expensive compared to sailing from ports in South America, where it takes roughly one-third of the time to reach the destination and less expense on marine fuel.

"However, a few more operators might want to sail from Hobart or New Zealand to offer people a chance to see a different part of Antarctica, including the historic huts of Scott, Shackleton and Mawson and an environment which is very different to the peninsula," Mr Sinclair said.

"If you go down to the Ross Sea, there are far fewer vessels there, with only a handful visiting each season."

Mr Sinclair's business focuses on small group "deep field" trips, which fly from Cape Town to Dronning Maud Land and the South Pole.

"There are only a few hundred visitors to this region each year compared to the over a hundred thousand that visit the Antarctic Peninsula," he said.

"We leverage national program infrastructure, including the intercontinental flights, to minimise our footprint and access some truly extraordinary locations, including recently discovered Emperor Penguin colonies which I have helped to census in co-operation with Emperor Penguin scientists."

Mr Sinclair said tourism operators must conform to extensive and comprehensive guidelines set by International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, and all guides and even office staff are tested on the 1500-page field operations manual each year.

"We have an app on our phones which has guidelines for every site and information about what we have to be careful of," he said.

"As guides, we're required to go through that before we land anywhere."

Mr Sinclair said operators are not allowed to take visitors to specially protected areas that have particular scientific or environmental values.

Everything a tour operator takes to the continent must return with them.

Mr Sinclair said the newer vessels that travelled to Antarctica were cleaner, more environmentally friendly and luxurious.

"Some people are choosing these vessels because they're super luxurious, so they've become a bit of the destination in their own right," he said.

"For me, that's not the point of going to Antarctica.

"For me, the real luxury is having the time and the space to really experience a place."

Islands & Ice chartered a former research vessel for a voyage to the Peninsula a year ago, however, the vessel is no longer available for future voyages.

Islands & Ice has plans to return to the Peninsula as it searches for a suitable small vessel offering the experience Mr Sinclair is keen to offer.

Along with the advertised trips on its website, the business also offers support to scientific research and film production and can assist with custom itineraries.

Mr Sinclair said the Antarctic tourism fleet often goes where scientists cannot due to budgetary or logistical constraints.

"There is quite a lot of opportunity and benefit for partnerships with scientific organisations," he said.

"We can take observations on marine mammals, sea birds, clouds, salinity, and all sorts of things to build a much better picture of what's going on.

"Also, the industry is populated with a lot of guides who genuinely care for Antarctica, many of whom have had a career in Antarctic and Southern Ocean science and return to share their knowledge and passion for Antarctica.

"For many guides, its of utmost importance to educate guests and have them consider how they might be able to protect Antarctica by taking action closer to home."

"It's what we are doing on the other six continents that are driving significant change in Antarctica."

Islands & Ice Travel is headquartered in Hobart and also offers small-group trips to Greenland, Svalbard and Vavau, Tonga.

A list of small group tour options is listed on its website.