More thoughts from someone who’s been there…
The Drake Passage
On the way to Antarctica, we got the full effects of the Drake Shake. I’m not normally prone to sea sickness, but I didn’t get out of bed for a day and a half. As long as I laid still, I was generally OK. But with 30-foot seas and howling wind, it was just too hard for me to be up and about. I skipped meals and everything - my husband (who handled it somewhat better than I did) brought me crackers to the room. That’s all the food I wanted. I found the thing that best kept motion sickness at bay was a Reliefband, which uses electrical impulses on your wrist to prevent nausea. It was a little expensive but worth it. On the return trip, we had a much calmer crossing - not quite the Drake Lake but tolerable.
The penguin smell
We went end of season (late February), so your experience may be different than ours. Those penguins are a stinky bunch! We soon learned a dab of Vicks under the nose helped a lot. And once you are out among the penguins for a few minutes, your nose adjusts. Plus, you just stop caring because you’re surrounded by penguins all around. They literally come right up to you. They’re so curious and unafraid. I had more than one peck my leg and my boot.
We saw adele, chinstrap and gentoo. The chinstraps were my favorite - so adorable!
Wildlife
No matter how much you look at photos, nothing can prepare you for being there. The animals are just so close. A couple of my favorite memories…
- The ship was stopped for the day. We were back on deck after completing our two outings (land and zodiac). As my husband and I stood on the back of the ship and looked out over an endless parade of icebergs, we were suddenly surrounded by more than 20 humpback whales. There were maybe 10 people out on deck total, and we all just stood silently. All you could hear was ice cracking and the sound of whales breathing. I hope I never forget that sound - it was otherworldly.
- On a snowy afternoon, we were ashore for a hiking excursion. Snow was pouring down, and I’m not the steadiest person on my feet. So I stayed on flat land while my husband and others hiked to the top of a hill. There were three other people who stayed at the bottom with me. As we stood there right at the edge of a cove filled with icebergs, suddenly an orca surfaced in shallow water no more than 10 feet from us. The water was so shallow the whale was on its side - almost surfing through the water clearly in search of a meal. I’ve never been so close to such a powerful animal in the wild. It left us all speechless. It was a perfect example of how Antarctica surprises you - those of us who didn’t make the long climb were rewarded with the most spectacular experience of the day.
The brutality of nature is on full display in Antarctica. We had an up-close view of a leopard seal devouring a gentoo, and you quickly get used to finding penguin skeletons on the ground as you hike. But we also got to see the sweetest part of nature - adult penguins feeding their chicks. I loved watching those fuzzy chicks endlessly chasing their parents around begging for a regurgitated meal.
Everything about Antarctica is just so wild, so undisturbed. I found it incredibly humbling to realize how small we are in this vast world. We’ve traveled extensively, and Antarctica is, without question, the best trip we’ve ever taken. It changes you, and it’s absolutely addictive. We’re already planning a return trip.
Just let me know any questions you have, and I’ll do my best to answer.