Viral TikTok: Waves Crash Against Ship Windows on a ‘Treacherous Voyage Through Drake Passage To Antarctica
It isn’t easy to travel through Drake Passage’s unpredictable waters.
The 620-mile long waterway linking South America with Antarctica is well-known for its rough seas. Natasha Alden, the travel writer behind The World PursuitThis was a friend of mine who I met on a recent trip.
Alden documented her journey to the continent in a TikTok clip that went viral. She called it “the most treacherous water body in the world” and said that it was where the Atlantic Ocean meets Pacific Ocean. The video also reaches into the Southern Ocean.
Alden explains that you can get either the Drake Lake, or the Drake Shake. He is referring to the unpredictable waters which can be extremely calm or very choppy.
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theworldpursuit/TikTok
Alden states that she spent most of her time “horizontal” because of the extreme seas that made it unsteady for the better half of two days.
It was a day of anger for the seas, with passengers trying to attend lectures about Antarctica’s wildlife and eating at the buffet breakfast.
She narrates that she only made it so far before she had to go back to her room. Waves can be seen crashing against the balcony from her window.
theworldpursuit/TikTok
Alden tried to pass the time reading — “a terrible idea” — and watching nature documentaries about the continent but neither soothed her inner ear, although she did take a Dramamine at one point in the video.
The day was rough, and the captain’s toast was made. The intrepid traveler drank it, thinking “there’s nothing better to knock me out than champagne.”
theworldpursuit/TikTok
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Alden, her companions, and Cameron Seagle, her husband, finally arrived in Antarctica. Later footage shows them enjoying the Antarctica’s frigid terrain while kayaking and playing with penguins.
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There are risks involved in taking a trip to Antarctica by plane or boat.
A rogue wave crashed into the window of the Viking Polaris in November and killed a 62 year-old American woman. She was also struck by broken glass. according to WCVB-TV. The incident resulted in minor injuries to four other people.
The ship suffered damage as well, and had to turn around and head back to the southernmost city in South America — Ushuaia, Argentina — the same place where Alden and her fellow passengers began their journey.