The Drake Passage is the body of water between the end of South America and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It is the southernmost point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet. It’s average depth is around 11,000 meters, which is very deep relatively speaking.

Crossing the Drake Passage, on our way to Antarctica. (Rachel Short-Miller)

The days at sea were disorienting. Time was irrelevant and the ocean was endless. But I actually really appreciated the day of freedom and relaxation before jumping into things. It took multiple, long days of traveling just to get to the tip of South America and we were able to use this crossing as a chance to catch up on sleep and stay in one place for a minute.

A tabular iceberg while crossing the Drake. (Rachel Short-Miller)

Crossing the Drake Passage is another worldly experience. There have not been many times in my life when I’m out in the open ocean but have no land in sight in any direction. It didn’t help to ease our sense of unease that a plane had crashed somewhere over The Drake a few days before we embarked and our ship was on the lookout for any of its signs.

I had heard it’s one of the roughest seas on earth and a part of me wanted that experience. Many people struggle with seasickness and maybe it helped that I do struggle occasionally, but not as severely as some. To help with seasickness over the Drake, I used scopolamine. It helped me sleep through some rocky nights and I never experienced any nausea. It did have some side effects such as a dry and sore throat, but besides that it was quite pleasant and convenient.

Thinking back on the experience though, seasickness was such a small, inconsequential thing. It was all so worth it to be able to experience Antarctica in all it's glory.