If someone told you they were going to put you on a small 100-passenger ship, and send you into one of the most potentially treacherous stretches of ocean for two full days of incredible adventure OR incredibly intense nausea, would you accept?

For all the brave souls who embark on an oceanic journey to Antarctica from South America, crossing the Drake Passage is truly an appropriate initiation to the wilds of the Great White Continent.  Named after Sir Francis Drake, this infamous body of water stretches 645km (or 400 miles) from the southernmost tip of South America (Cape Horn) to the northernmost tip of Antarctica and takes roughly 2 days to cross, depending on how lucky you get with the weather conditions.

The Drake Passage is known to sport some of the most tumultuous waters in the world due to the fact that this is the only place where the easterly flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current gets squeezed through two land masses.  This essentially forms a bottleneck, which can result in up to 10m (33ft) swells and blasting winds, tossing ships to and fro, and a good reason to secure your belongings tightly in your cabin as your ship battles its way across.

In decades long past, it wasn’t uncommon for ships to fall victim to these wild seas, but modern ships and improved navigation technology have made the crossing much more manageable.  These days the worst you can expect is some rather unpleasant seasickness, if you happen to be prone to it.

Drake Passage on the Radar

Fortunate travelers get to experience the ‘Drake Lake,’ which occurs when you slip in between low-pressure weather systems and get to enjoy incredibly calm conditions as you cross.  This is an especially resplendent journey for birders, as the pleasant sail makes it easy to head out on deck and observe the myriad of sea birds, such as the mighty albatross, that call this region home.  This also increases the likelihood of seeing whales as you cross the passage.

Drake Passage - knot winds

However intimidating (or enticing!) you find the Drake Passage, rest assured that it is more than worth it in order to experience the splendor of Antarctica.  And not many people get to claim that they’re Drake Passage veterans. 

And as always, if you’ve got a great Drake Passage story, or a burning question, do leave a comment via Twitter (@WanderingEds & @antarctravels) or Facebook!

Got a burning question about travel to Antarctica?  Let me know and I’ll try to answer it in this monthly series. 

Heather Thorkelson has been an adventurer for as long as anyone can remember, having visited 18 countries by the time she was 18, lived in 5 different ones by the time she was 23, and had reached all seven continents by 32. She is an avid outdoors-person, devoted mom to a Portuguese water dog, and lives with her partner Sean in Toronto when they are not out traipsing the far reaches of the globe. By day, she's a life coach who works with people to create the life they dream of, and she moonlights as Antarctica Travels’ Social Media Ninja. She can be reached at heather @ antarcticatravels.com

All photos courtesy and copyright Heather Thorkelson and Sean Benner