Foyn Harbour, Deception Island, & the Drake Shake
Days Six, Seven, Eight & Nine - Antarctica - 2022
The fun had to end sometime … but I never guessed this dramatically!
Editor’s Comment: This travelogue, unlike the rest on this site, doesn’t dive much into the logistics, planning, and execution of the tour itself; this topic was so expansive I covered it in a separate page, About Ocean Endeavour & Sailing with Intrepid Travel / Chimu Adventures on the Best of Antarctica, which I highly encourage you read as a companion piece to this one.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
1. Foyn Harbour
The Guvernøren sits forever in Foyn Harbour, intentionally run aground after catching fire in 1915.
I won’t bury the lede here: the weather deteriorated so quickly overnight this is the only photograph I risked taking so as to not get my camera wet. If you want to see how crazy it got, take a look at the video below. The weather and crazy seas notwithstanding, I am glad we attempted the journey to see the ship Guvernøren … even if it was sketch AF.
Editor’s Comment: Please ensure the video is playing back at the highest available resolution for the best experience.
2. Deception Island #1
Deception Island is the caldera of an active volcano, although it does have a normally “safe” harbor.
Returning to the ship, I already knew what was coming deep down in the pit of my stomach. At the safety briefing, we were told the weather had deteriorated too significantly to make any additional landings. We were further told the wind in the Drake Passage had picked up to 30 knots, and -if we didn’t leave right then-and-there to head back to Ushuaia- we’d add an extra day or two onto our trip. Therefore, the Captain -in the best interest of the crew and passengers- that we’d head back, immediately.
Naturally, we were devastated. There was so much left to do: three zodiac cruises (with maybe a landing or two thrown in the mix), snowshoeing, camping, more kayaking, the polar plunge. If the day prior was the best travel day ever, this was arguably the worst.
My disappointment notwithstanding, I understood the decision and I will go to my grave believing the captain made the right call. The proof came later: first, two passengers on another vessel passed away during a zodiac accident, and, second, a rogue wave struck a cruise ship in the exact wind we were trying to avoid ten days later, killing one and injuring four.
However, some relief came for many later on as the crew announced that we would be making an incredibly quick stop in the wind-insulated harbor of Deception Island where we would attempt the polar plunge. Passengers hurried to prepare while I soaked in this amazing geological formation.
3. Deception Island #2
Another ship had the same idea as us and was hurriedly leaving the narrow entrance to the harbor as we arrived.
4. Deception Island #3
Little breaks of daylight revealed just how massive the approaching cloud walls were … and, more importantly, how quickly they were moving.
5. Deception Island #4
An attempt at a panorama of (half) the island, trickier said than done on a fast-moving vessel.
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6. Deception Island #5
An abandoned whaling station could be seen in the mist - indeed, the active volcano causes steam to rise up against the cold surrounding air.
7. The Polar Plunge
I am so happy that those who wanted to participate in the polar plunge were able. I am coward when it comes to water, and instead volunteered to photograph the plunges from afar. It was nearly 10PM at this point, and boy it is hard to do telephoto work with the sun that low so please forgive the graininess.
Afterwards, we skipped straight past the South Shetland Island and went straight back into the Drake Passage. This was no Drake Lake - this was Drake Shake. I could sit here and describe ad nauseum how terrible the Drake Shake is (see what I did there?) but I’ll spare you the details. This quick video tells the story well enough.
Editor’s Comment: Please ensure the video is playing back at the highest available resolution for the best experience.
8. Safely in the Beagle Channel
Two very long days later, we were back in the safety of the Beagle Channel. We survived the 10-plus meter (30-plus foot) waves which lashed our tiny ship continually for 48 hours. Some people were upset about the torture chamber. Not me - this was adventuring at its peak. We earned our stripes.
…
This two-day journey allowed me to reflect on this entire experience … not the sights and sounds, so much, but what the voyage itself meant to me. I normally don’t get abstract when reflecting on travel; after all, most travel really boils down to paying up front and showing up on time. But traveling to Antarctica is … so unlike any other trip I’ve taken.
The bulk of humanity’s experience boils down to how we’ve interacted with the earth, but Antartica is practically unique in that humanity has had no significant impact upon it. What is our responsibility to safeguard it? Was I helping to undo millions of years of human non-involvement? Am I therefore culpable for what comes next? Tough questions. I still wrestle with them, but I think if I can help convince people to leave only footprints and take only pictures, we can be good stewards of this magical place.
Then there is how hard it is to put into words how emotionally profound and moving this trip was. How can I do it justice?
I am a student of the earth. When I was a small child, I had a gigantic map sprawled across my bedroom wall at which I would gaze with intense, unceasing curiosity. Such wonders of nature and culture on this tiny blue marble! I've dedicated much of my personal life to the exploration of our spacefaring rock seeking a greater appreciation for all of humanity's triumphs and failures.
As Antarctica is the only untouched, unblemished part of the world, what could we possibly learn by gazing upon it, to stand on its vast emptiness?
I couldn’t then nor can now answer this question. However, I submit the following which hopefully provides some sense of understanding of my frame of mind on the matter:
Upon his return from space in 1968, astronaut William Anders commented, "We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the earth."
Much like how Bill Anders found the earth by traveling to the moon, perhaps I discovered the human race by traveling to Antarctica.
…
Before long, we arrived (a bit ahead of schedule, no less), and -after some admittedly questionable decision-making and communication on the part of the crew- we were allowed to disembark one night early. I don’t think anyone who stepped off the boat just to pay for a night’s accommodation in Ushuaia felt regret about their decision.
So, there we were - our Antarctic voyage concluded unexpectedly albeit spectacularly. My thoughts on this can be summed up thusly:
This adventure didn’t go according to plan; but, because of that, everything accidentally happened perfectly.
