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The Drake Shake

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January 5, 2025 

After all of the excitement from the previous days, we were ready for a day to relax. However, Drake had other plans for us. I woke up in the middle of the night to rolling waves and a deep shuddering. The shuddering was so intense I thought I was going to vibrate right out of the bed. I don’t normally get sea sick and I had taken Meclizine tablets in preparation the night before, but despite my best efforts I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick.

For about an hour I had bounced back and forth between thinking that I was going to throw up and then reminding myself that I was going to be fine. After that hour, I finally decided to wake Andy up to get one of his motion sickness patches. Once I had that, I started to feel better pretty quickly and was able to fall back asleep. 

The expedition team had some activities planned for us – and a lot of different lectures that we could attend during the day. We watched a few from our room and then went to the buffet for lunch since it was on a lower floor. (We were hoping it would make the motion sickness better). But as we sat near the window, we saw just how big the swells were – we later found out that they were about 25-28 feet. It’s really hard to do these waves justice in pictures/videos, but I assure you they were bad!

We were grateful that we didn’t have the Drake Shake both ways, because it really put a damper on the morale of the ship because so many people were sick.

We made the best of it though, and we attended a Bridge tour. We’ve done a handful of cruises in the past, and this was our first time being able to see what it looked like. The crew were incredible – they actually allowed me to pretend to be the captain and use their binoculars. It was really cool and a lot different than I thought it would be. 

After that, we attended the Officer Q&A, which was pretty fun to hear the different questions and answers. I naturally wanted to understand how the restocking process works since we don’t stop at any ports. Come to find out that they only restock once a month for non-perishable items, and then restock each time they dock in Ushuaia with the perishable items. The hospitality manager said that we had let her down when it came to the amount of beer and wine we had drank during that cruise, and we had more left than she thought we would have. (We all saw this as a challenge, naturally! 😂)

Most people weren’t feeling their best, and so most of the sessions were pretty quiet. The crew let us know to expect similar conditions the next day, which none of us were thrilled to hear.

Up Next:
– Another day on the Drake  

Deception Island & Whaler’s Bay

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January 4, 2025

Our last stop in Antarctica was Deception Island – specifically, Whaler’s Bay. Deception Island is a volcanic island in Antarctica, famous for its hot springs and stunning landscapes. It’s still an active volcanic caldera, having most recently erupted in 1970. It’s considered a “restless” caldera, which means it shows ongoing signs of activity – such as, earthquakes, geo thermal activity (part of the beach was steaming), and gas emissions. The caldera formed 10,000 years ago when the volcano collapsed after a major eruption.

Whaler’s Bay was once a busy whaling station from the 1900s to the 1930s due to its natural protection from wild weather). The bay was home to a major whaling station operated by the British, where whales were processed for oil and other products. The station had large processing facilities, and after the whaling industry failed the station was abandoned. All that stands today are the decaying buildings, rusting equipment, and bone fragments that provide a rather haunting view into the past.

That morning our crew let us know that we would be passing through Neptune’s Bellows, the narrow entrance into Port Foster (Deception Island). It’s a very small gap that is the only way into the crater of Deception Island – many people gathered outside to get pictures and videos. I have to say, it was really cold, so we didn’t last for very long outside due to the wind!

We started our day’s adventure off with a zodiac tour, to our amazement we immediately saw a leopard seal! Our driver told us that it’s very unusual to see leopard seals in that area because they really like being on the ice, so we were excited that it decided to grace us with its presence!

Upon first glance, you could already tell this stop was different from the rest. It was very rough and jagged – with lava rock lining the beaches. As our boat drove around, there were Chinstrap penguins swimming along next to us and jumping out of the waves. It was so cute to see them playing in our wake! The island is home to colonies of over 70,000 Chinstrap penguins, which we could see every direction that we looked. It was also incredible to see the steam rising up from the shore due to the geothermal activity.

After our zodiac tour, we went back to the ship and we had a decision to make. Most expedition ships offer the polar plunge to their explorers – which usually entails being harnessed to the ship and jumping off the side. HX only offered the polar plunge from shore, which most of us were not thrilled about. In my humble opinion, and because you’re here… It’s in the name right? Polar plunge. Not slowly wander into the cold water from the beach.

I was teetering back and forth on if I wanted to do it, because you would have to wear your swimsuit under your winter wear for the landing. (Which also meant hiking in it!) And I just didn’t love the idea of hiking in it, and then having to be taking back by zodiac to the boat. I had a glass of champagne with our new friends, and another… and decided that if I was in a nursing home later in life I would regret not doing it.

So I suited up – and then bundled back up. Our group met at the Expedition Launch and we made our way to the zodiacs that would bring us to shore. We went on a short hike to a scenic viewpoint – on the way we walked past a lot of wildlife: penguins, seals, birds, and saw whale bones scattered among the lava rock.

The whale graveyard in the background

I personally had a one track mind. I didn’t want to chicken out of doing the polar plunge, so as soon as we got to the approved “plunge” area I started stripping. Our goal as a group was to go in at the same time, but I was hot to trot because frankly, I wanted to get it over with!

Unfortunately for us, the team hadn’t put us close to the geothermal water that was warm. We were in a cold area – and since we were strolling in, it felt like my toes might actually fall off. I dunked down to my neck and popped back up and went running back to shore. HX provided towels, so I quickly rubbed down and threw on my robe then my jacket and snow pants over that. (It really was quite the sight!)

Fashionista

We made it back on board and quickly hopped into the hot tub to warm back up. Honestly, I would have preferred that we did it off the ship, but I’m glad that I did it.

That evening we spent in the Observation Lounge encouraging our favorite pianist to play our favorite songs so people could sing along. It was a great last day on Antarctica!

Up Next:
– Drake Passage

Walking in a winter wonderland

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January 2, 2025

On our expedition, we were unsure of how many continental landings we would have throughout it due to the changing ice and weather conditions, the team has to be incredibly agile when planning out itineraries. There are many islands that make up the Antarctica archipelago, but I think all of us on the ship were extremely excited to actually touch “mainland” Antarctica.

Our stop for the day was Neko Harbor. Neko Harbor has a resident glacier in its midst, and our landing site was near that. We had to quickly get off of the zodiacs and climb up the beach in case the glacier “calved” any icebergs that would cause a wave to send tourists running for higher ground. They even had someone from the Expedition Team on glacier duty – watching for any activity to walkie the others in case they needed to pause operations.

That particular day, we were some of the first groups to get outside for our landing. It was a steep climb up to a rocky outcropping that faced the glacier and provided a beautiful view of the surrounding harbor. We grabbed our trekking poles and started to make our way to the top. There was a penguin rookery halfway up, but we kept moving and decided to stop to see it on the way down. That way we would have more time with fewer people at the “top.”

The snow and wind picked up – and it truly felt like we were walking in a winter wonderland. For a few moments, it felt like we were climbing Mount Everest with how windy it got! We had the disadvantage of not having more people ahead of us creating a clear path, so it was pretty slippery and I had some trouble trying to find my footing.

Our friend Dena had beat us up there, but she graciously offered to take some pictures of us (and vice versa of course!). After that, we wanted to make our way down to get out of the windy zone. Part of the way down, we stopped to look at the Gentoo penguins. We could see a bunch of nests, and the parents fiercely defended their chicks from Skuas (predatory seabirds). One of the talks we sat in on explained that it took the parents getting distracted for one second and that would be the end of the chick. Unfortunately, we had a front row seat of watching one of the baby chicks being taken away by a lucky Skua. (Cue the “Circle of Life”)

Look like ants up at the top!

We made our way back to the ship and warmed up for a few hours before venturing out again for our zodiac cruise. We bundled back up and made our way out for our cruise. From the zodiac’s vantage point, all of the people climbing the hill looked like ants. (And it looked as steep as it felt!)

Andy saw a minke whale:

There was a group of 30 people that signed up for camping, they were able to camp on this stop, sounded fun! (But cold!)

We joked this was a ghost ship – sorry Emily!

Up Next:
– Melchior Islands

From Sunshine to Rain: A Day in the Lemaire Channel and Petermann Island

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January 1, 2025

The HX team was incredibly kind to us and made sure that we got to sleep in on New Year’s Day. The first activity that we had was cruising through the Lemaire Channel, which is known as one of Antarctica’s most stunning and iconic waterways. The channel is a popular spot for expedition cruises, because it offers visitors a glimpse into the untouched wilderness of Antarctica. We were able to take in the views from our balcony, which was great to watch (and hear!) the icebergs float on by.

I was just about to comment on how nice it was to have a slow morning after such a late night when an overhead announcement was made that they were moving our landing time up in the day. So we had to quickly get ready, eat lunch, and then bundle up to get outside.

It was pretty cold and rainy – which was a stark contrast from the day before. I was expecting snow and didn’t anticipate how much the rain would really put a damper on the day. However, every day in Antarctica is a good day!

Andy got some of the best wildlife photos on the trip there – including a momma penguin feeding her chick. We saw some whales and seals – it truly was incredible just being there and witnessing the animals in their environment. It’s penguin country!

Earlier this year, Andy and I realized that each of us had a pair of shoes that had almost been to every continent. When we had this discovery, we put them into retirement until this trip so they could still be functional – but have stepped “foot” on each continent. We followed the treaty protocol and made sure that we vacuumed out any foreign debris from the soles, and packed them up in our backpack.

A little rough around the edges, but they’ve seen some things!

We had a little shoe photoshoot, and then touched them down in the snow. We’re going to try to figure out how we can put them on display in our house, but we were so excited to have made it work. Those shoes really have seen the world!

In order to warm back up we took another dip in the hot tub, and the sauna for Andy.

Up Next:
– Our first continental landing!

The Drake Passage: where there’s no-sleep till safe shores!

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December 30, 2024

Shockingly, it was another relatively smooth day on Drake Passage. Some guests didn’t feel great from the waves, Andy didn’t feel 100% so took it a bit easier than normal. It was another ship day, so we spent more time exploring the ship and sitting in different lectures.

We had to attend a mandatory IAATO briefing that let us know what we could/could not do Antarctica. I’d like to say that it was common sense, but I have learned common sense isn’t so common anymore. 😅 For example, how far away you should stay from penguins (15 feet) and other wildlife, leave no trace, how many tourists can be on land at one time, etc. In order to get off the ship you had to attend this briefing.

Our expedition director

Part of the IAATO treaty was also making sure that you vacuumed out all of your outside layer for any foreign objects. So we also made sure to vacuum all of our hats, mittens, snow pants, backpack, etc. that could leave any material behind. They had stations set up around the ship so we could all do our part in not bringing in any invasive materials.

On different cruise lines, they are known for their entertainment, food, activities, etc. HX is an expedition company, so they are very focused on educational programs, which was great for us to learn more about Antarctica!

We were told that we would be sailing into the Antarctic Convergence. What is that you ask? The Antarctic Convergence Zone is where the cold waters from Antarctica meet the warmer waters from the sub-Antarctic. This creates a super productive area in the ocean, full of nutrients that support tons of wildlife like krill, penguins, seals, and whales. It’s also known for its wild conditions: strong currents, frequent storms, and rough seas. Basically it’s a cold and stormy region that lets you know that you are nearing Antarctica!

Regardless of the cold, we hopped back into the hot tub again. It was pretty funny how much difference a day can make!

By early evening, we started to see our first icebergs – which got. us very excited!

Up Next:
– First day landing in Antarctica!