Some adventures are carefully planned. Others begin with a sentence that sounds perfectly reasonable at the time: “How hard could it be?”
The answer is hard and VERY VERY cold.
Deciding to travel to Antarctica is not something you take lightly. Deciding to travel there with a friend after you've consumed a 'couple' of vinos is dangerous. However, that is exactly what we did.
Flying into South America with a bag full of scuba diving equipment means the rest of your packing has to be light but cover temps from -1 to 38. Heading to Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina where we jumped on board our boat - a Russian ex research vessel, for our two-day trip across the Drake Passage.
And it certainly lived up to its reputation. With 7m swells, there were many passengers we didn't see for the whole crossing. However, being made of stern kiwi stock, I had no issues with sea sickness. And luckily no one broke anything, which apparently happened on the trip before ours - a broken leg in fact. There is something slightly disconcerting, though, sitting at the dinning table on the second floor and watching water go way up past your window and back down again, while trying not to spill your wine!
The ship held 40 passengers, 20 of whom were diving. We had four dive guides plus another four expedition staff. All of whom had PhD's in various Antarctic-related subjects. The one exception was the guide who worked as a rescue diver and paramedic in the North Sea in his real life, which, after watching video footage of some of his rescues, we all agreed was equal to any PhD.
We arrived in Antarctica on the morning of our third day and all I can say is WOW. Imagine waking up, climbing off your bunk, opening the curtain to see mountains of ice, glistening blue in the sun. As far as the eye could see - absoulutely magnificent.
What followed was one of the most incredible journeys of my life. Diving in the morning among icebergs, penguins, leopard seals and shipwrecks. Exploring ice-covered peaks and both historical and inhabited bases in the afternoon. Looking through the ozone machine at the Argentinian base at Hope Bay, drinking shots of vodka at the Ukrainian Vernadsky Research Station bar (where I also got my passport stamped), finding cans of beans, books and memorabillia frozen in time in the cold but dry conditions at Port Lockroy base. This base, which closed in 1962, now operates as a historic museum and post office (and yes I did send myself a postcard from here).
This was a journey of epic proportions. It was a journey of reflection. It was a journey of discovery, friendships, cute little penguins, large leopard seals and the most perfect whale tails disappearing beneath the water. It was a once in a lifetime adventure, but it is not for the faint of heart. If you've always wanted to go to Antarctica - go. You will not regret it
On a final funny note. As we gathered on our first night for introductions to the guides, I heard a familiar voice. In true Kiwi style, one of the guides was a friend from home, who had been working on one of the sub-antarctic islands. She was doing a guiding stint on her way home. I had done research diving for her when she was doing her PhD back in Wellington. Small world, huh!
