Safety Tips in Antarctica

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Calving is the word to describe large pieces of a glacier falling into adjacent water. It makes a monument sounds.... increased creaking, like the hold of an ancient ship, followed by what sounds like thunder's roar, and finally a huge splash into the water. It's incredible, a true show of nature's power, but can also be very dangerous.

IF the glacial "calf" is large enough and the body of water that it falls into is small and pretty much surrounded by shoreline, a mini-tsumani can actually happen. At one point on our journey, this was pointed out to us with a severe warning. We were told that IF we chose to explore a particular shore area and IF we heard or saw a large chunk of glacier fall into the small sound on the other shore, then we should RUN not walk as high up onto the hill/slope beside the shore as possible. We were told that waves of 25-35 feet suddenly hitting the shore after such an occurrence were not at all uncommon, and anyone ON the beach at that point risked being swept into quite frigid waters.

A lot of folks did go ahead and walk the shoreline. As for us, we decided the view from a hill overlooking the shore was more to our liking.

With literally thousands of icebergs to see, there is a huge variety of shapes and sizes. And inevitably, just really by luck of the draw, some of them might just end up looking "like something or someone". The "like something" icebergs are especially entertaining when they might be a little bit x-rated. I can guarantee you that the zodiac drivers, madmen that they are, will make a beeline taking you to some questionable content icebergs if they know about them.

As for the one below, yes... we all knew what it looked like. Fun, huh?

On Antarctic expedition cruises, you'll spend a lot of time getting into and out of zodiac craft. You'll also be climbing up steep steps, narrow trails and the like. In short, you're going to have people stretching out their hands to help you, and you'll be doing the same for others. That's where the sailor's grip comes in. They teach it on day one of the Ushuaia cruise.

Basically, instead of gripping hands tightly, you grip the other person's forearm with your hand and he/she does the same. It's a much more solid bond, the kind that might just keep you out of the sub-freezing waters of Antarctica.

OK, penguins are birds. We are all familiar with the nuances of bird poo. They just kind of "let go" and if it's your wonderful fortune to be under them, well..... a trip to the dry cleaners for your new linen suit, right?

The good news is that penguins are rarely ABOVE you, they generally stand on the ground, down around your feet. The bad news is that like other birds, they just let fire when they have to go. And judging from the array of fecal vectors evident on the ground around the penguin areas, it was obvious to us that they also let go with "some force" so to speak.

Well, we finally got that rarest of shots, a penguin pooping. This little baby gentoo just had to go, and the fact that they had visitors just didn't matter. The adult gentoo to his side doesn't seem overly concerned. But looking at the photo, you can imagine what a mess it might be if you were unfortunate enough to be behind this little guy and within say a meter when he decided it was time to go.

Brings a new meaning to the battle phrase "fire in the hole", doesn't it?

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This 'warning' is really just in jest. The drivers who captained our zodiac landing craft were experts, true professionals. They knew what they were doing.

Early in our trip, we were remarking about how fast Phil (one of the guides and also a zodiac driver) liked to go. Since he was an Austrian, we christened him NIKI LAUDA in honor of the Austrian formula one race driver. However later in the trip, we road with another fellow (Ariel "Flaco" Crujeiras) who made Phil seem like a school bus driver. One of our group remarked that "this guy should be Niki Lauda, he makes Phil seem like Niki Lauda's grandmother" with an outboard engine in his hand. Sooooooooo, we transferred the Niki Lauda tag to the real hot rod of the bunch.

That being said, most of them - except Veselka (the lone female driver and also coincidentally Mrs Phil - see the great guides tip) who was much more mild-mannered - were really keen to show you how FAST a zodiac could go. They do seem to enjoy the bucking as you skip over the waves and little chunks of ice. These things can fly.

Two bits of advice. Enjoy the ride and for God's sake, DO hold on tight.

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OK, it goes without saying, but I say it anyway.... ships are in constant motion. Sometimes they are in contant heavy motion, crossing the Drake Passage for example. HOLD ON. Always keep one hand free for holding on. We were told early on to "reserve one hand for the ship" to hold on to rails and such. And to be quite honest, sometimes TWO hands didn't seem like enough to hold on when climbing or descending some of the steep staircases. That being said, to my knowledge, nobody was injured during the cruise. ::I:: had an annoying habit of forgetting to duck my head when descending the steeper staircases and I always would whack my forehead. I'm only 5'10", so I can only imagine the trouble my Dutch friend Marc-Peter (6'7") had.

Another item we had to consider.... all doors had latches so that they could be latched in the open position. The problem is that sometimes if someone were to put their hand in the door frame and the ship were to move, an unlatched door can slam hard onto the hand and fingers. Given that the door frames are all steel and quite heavy, you can see the danger.

Taking a show in heavy seas was also a challenge. God help you if you dropped the shampoo or your shower brush and had to lean over to pick it up.

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Anyone who has seen the movie Titanic - or perhaps actually read the history of the disaster learning of it sans Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio - knows all too well the hazards posed to ships in an iceberg-laden area. Icebergs range from small to massive, and you can never really - with your naked eye - know how big or how an iceberg is shaped, because 2/3 of it is usually under the surface of the water. So, that means that maybe 50 feet away from a moderate iceberg, the actual 'depth' of the water might be about 5 feet, due to iceberg beneath the surface. VERY dangerous for larger ships. And, icebergs are "active". They are not "attached" to the earth, but are rather floating with the current. SOMETIMES, they'll melt enough or change in shape such that the balance is wrong, leading them to suddenly flip over - maybe putting some of the underwater portions of the 'berg above the water. Needless to say, being right next to an iceberg that chooses to do this flip manuever is perhaps the end of the line for a ship.

Our ship was captained by a fine fellow, an Argentine named Alejandro Font. But, I also noticed another officer on board, Sergio Osiroff. Officer Osifoff's job was listed as "ice pilot". Basically, he was an expert and reading and navigating sonar involving ice and shifting icebergs. So, having safely returned from dangerous waters, let me say a special muchos gracias to Officer Osiroff and his skill.

Look at the main photo below - and hopefully the others, too. In the lead shot, that is our ship, dwarfed by an iceberg to her side. I took this shot from one of the zodiac crafts, during a landing excursion.

The Drake Passage, which separates Argentina and Chile from Antarctica, is one of the most active watery convergences on earth. Strong back and forth currents are created by the meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, coupled with the strong winds and weather swings in the polar region. The result is that the current in the passage will be either strong, stronger, really strong on unGodly strong. Crossing the Drake Passage is something that is both anticipated and feared for those sailing to Antarctica - especially those who are on smaller "expedition ships".

OK, we crossed the Drake, both going and coming. We did not get sick, didn't lose any lunches. There were times that we felt somewhat nauseous, and we were a little more careful about what and how much we ate during the crossings. (careful what you swallow, it may be coming back up) And in complete and honest candor, we were lucky - the crew tells us that we got two very smooth crossings. That being said, the motion was strong and constant, especially freaky at night. IF we'd had wall bunks, as they did in some of the lower deck cabins, it might have been a challenge to physically stay in the bed. No wonder a lot of the C and D deck folks chose to just lay down on the couches and floors in the bar/observation room on the nights of the crossing. (two days to cross each way) We were fortunate to have nice double beds in our cabin. As an example of how much motion we were having, I remember waking up in the middle of our first night and being unable to get back to sleep for a couple of hours. The whole time, I was literally humming (in my mind anyway) that sailor tune "blow the man down", and I based the rhythm entirely on the motion back and forth. I'd feel like I'd move maybe 2 feet to the left and 1 foot forward, and then the alternate move would come.....2 feet back to the right and 1 foot back toward the stern of the ship.

You knew what was coming when the night before entering the Drake, the crew goes around and scotch-tapes "vomit bags" every few feet all over the ship. Their goal is that if anyone suddenly gets ill and can't make a bathroom, they'll have a bag nearby. The accompanying photo shows one of the bags taped up outside our cabin hall. And while the crossings we had were "smooth" according to the crew, consider this.... you only see one bag in the photo. The photo was taken in the morning, and the night before, there had been dozens out there. Figure it out.

Making plans for motion sickness remedies ahead of the cruise is strongly recommended. We used scopolamine patches. (Trans-Derm) Other good choices are phenergan tables or dramamine. It's important to take something before you get ill, because after you do get seasick, it's a lot tougher to get better. The good news is that it's only two days and once you get to protected waters off Antarctica, things calm down nicely.

Oh and one more thing.... when you finally finish your cruise, you DO continue to feel the affects of the motion, particularly the two Drake crossings. You'll find yourself being a little dizzy as you're walking. It affected me off and on for about two weeks after we got home.