Antarctica

My expedition to the bottom of the world took me on a trip of a lifetime, through the dangerous Drake Passage, past giant icebergs and ancient glaciers, to see whales breaching, seals basking in the sun, and penguins breeding in their rookeries.

GETTING THERE

The most inexpensive and common way to get to Antarctica is by ship, from South America, traveling either from the tip of Argentina or from the tip of Chile. I flew from Buenos Aires EZE/AEP into Ushuaia Airport USH, in Argentina's Patagonia region.

The charming town of Ushuaia billed itself as the 'End of the World'. It was organized and efficient, with fast WIFI, and other modern conveniences. It felt very European, a combination of tall old homes with ornate facades, and new contemporary buildings, but none were very high, so the magnificent scenery of snow covered peaks, midnight blue water and clean crisp air was preserved.

THE EXPEDITION BEGINS

I boarded the small ship, with 90 other passengers, some young adventurers, some older people on a bucket list trip. We glided along the Beagle Channel, past dramatic mountains and ancient glaciers.

Once in the open ocean, large swells gently rocked my ship. I spent two days going through the infamous Drake Passage, one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world because the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean collide with the powerful Antarctic Polar Current. Luckily, for this crossing, the waters were calm. I attended every seminar put on by the Naturalists and Biologists on board. I also watched as Wandering Albatross birds followed the ship, flying through the air with their giant 10+ foot wingspans.

AMAZING EXCURSIONS

We arrived at Antarctica, and the scenery was dramatic, the colors vibrant! The jagged snow covered mountain ranges were topped with white puffy clouds floating against azure blue skies, and large icebergs dotted the water. It was simply spectacular to see all the snow glistening in the rays of sunshine.

The crew launched the zodiacs, and we saw our first penguins swimming in the water, not just swimming but leaping out of the ocean like dolphins. The Biologist said the penguins were arriving in the area to nest in rooks, many of them looking for their same mate as the year before.

The goal of everyone visiting Antarctica was to walk on the Continent, so the Captain found a safe location, in a large bay, surrounded by walls of glaciers as far as the eye could see. The zodiacs were dropped into the water and we followed biosecurity protocols, all of us putting on tall disinfected rubber boots, to protect the pristine environment.

I walked up a crude ice staircase that a crew member made. Then I carefully climbed a huge hill completely covered with snow. Just yards from me penguins marched up the hill to get to their breeding rookery. Once at the top, I was surrounded by hundreds of penguins, but all of them completely ignored me. Some were loving on each other, some were fighting, some were chasing away other male penguins trying to steal their mate.

DRAKE PASSAGE STORMS

As we toured the Antarctic Peninsula, we watched seals basking in the sun, penguins swimming, and various types of whales breaching, and sending air bursts out of their blowholes. But our time of tranquility was about to end. The Captain told us that three consecutive storms were heading towards us and we needed to leave immediately to try to outrun them. We were told the safest place to be was in bed and we should stay there until they announced over the loudspeaker it was ok to move.

Within two hours, the winds started blowing and the seas got rough. The Drake Passage was about to live up to its reputation. It was a long night, powering through the first storm, as the ship rocked in the darkness.

The next day, the seas quieted and we were told it was the calm before the second storm, so we got out of bed to eat and look around. I went to the Command Deck to see the ocean. There were no ordinary swells heading in the same direction like normal, there were only giant waves all crashing into each other like bumper cars.

We rode out the second storm the same as the first. A night of powerful wind, pounding rain, and big swells. Again, the next day we were given the clear to leave our rooms.

The Captain moved the ship as fast as he could, to outrun that final storm. Remarkably, we made it to Argentina’s sheltered Beagle Channel before it hit. We were very grateful to our crew for their quick thinking and smart maneuvering.

I will never ever forget my expedition to Antarctica. The Drake Passage, the walls of ice, the ancient glaciers, the penguin rookeries, and the extreme beauty of the 7th continent will live in my mind forever.