4 Days of Cruising Around Antarctica

The ship slowly sliced through the smooth sea. Chunks of strikingly iridescent blue ice in all sizes menacingly bobbed by whispering, “You don’t belong here…”. In the battle of ice vs steel, there’s no questioning who wins—the captain gave way accordingly. On the right there were towering mountains blanketed in snow. A clingy cloud relaxing on the top. A massive glacier jutting off from the bottom.

To the left, a disturbance in the water. Little bodies were hurling themselves up into the air in a dolphin like fashion, beelining it away from the ship. Penguins! Just beyond a spray of water erupted over a big black shadow. A humpback whale! It lurched down and flicked its tail up. A friendly wave or foreboding warning?

The ship began exiting the channel, away from the protection of the mountains. The light gray sky turned darker as the wind got stronger and waves turned wilder. Snow started dusting the decks. Birds masterfully glided through the gusts. The penguins and whales continued business as usual. Us humans, bundled in jackets and scarfs with watery eyes and frozen hands latched around cameras were forced to retreat inside.

It was as if nature was reminding us, “You can look… but don’t forget who’s in charge….”

There are places on this planet where humans simply aren’t meant to be. Antarctica is one of them. It is the driest (yup it has a huge desert!), coldest, windiest, and highest place on earth, and our fragile bodies aren’t designed to withstand the harsh, cold conditions. But we’ve given it our best go… classic homo sapiens… amiright?

The Discovery of Antarctica

James Cook and his crew were the first to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773, Bellinghausen and his crew were the first to lay eyes on continental Antarctica in 1820, and a year later John Davis was the first person to set foot on it. Although there’s some debate.  At the turn of the 20^th century, the “Heroic Era” of Antarctic exploration began. Explorers from Belgium, Norway, England, Sweden, Scotland, Russia, the United States, Argentina, and Chile…just to name a few… led expeditions in the mad dash towards the South Pole to discover (and claim) this final frontier of the world.  

There are epic stories of attrition and perseverance in the battle of man vs nature during this scramble for Antarctica. Click HERE for a list of 8 particularly famous and fascinating expeditions.

Twelve countries claimed rights to Antarctica, but it was quite obvious that it wasn’t a place for permanent colonization. They came together to sign the 1959 Antarctica Treaty, which went into effect in 1961. It established the continent as a neutral land to be used for scientific research. Conditions of the treaty included no weapons testing, nuclear explosions, mining or commercial exploitation of the land as well as a commitment to protect the environment and an agreement to share findings and discoveries.  As of 2022, 55 nations have signed the treaty.

There’s no permanent human population in Antarctica. But there are 70 research stations representing 29 countries dedicated to studying the continent’s geology, biodiversity, oceans, and climate.

One perspective is that the Antarctic Treaty is one of the most successful geo-political agreements in the world. Another is that nature has proven its dominance once again.

After cruising around part of the continent for 4 days onboard the Volendam, one thing was clear: it’s not a matter of wanting to have control over Antarctica, it’s a matter of not being able to.

The ships intended itinerary was rerouted several times due to the conditions. Big chunks of ice had us hightailing it in the other direction. Winds reaching 70mph stopped us dead in our tracks. There was one patch of blue sky that quickly dissipated back to the usual: gray, cold, and windy.

FAQ: No… there weren’t any excursions ashore! According to the Antarctic Treaty System and Association for Antarctica Tour Operators, ships carrying more than 500 passengers are prohibited from any landing activities.

It’s hard to understand how people, both in the past and present, manage to survive the conditions. But I understand why they would want to.

The giant blue glaciers, impressive ice sheets, and looming mountains are romantically mysterious, and the wildlife is simply astounding. Emperor Penguins are able to stay underwater for a whopping 27 minutes because their heart rate drops so low.  The Antarctic toothfish have an antifreeze protein that prevents their blood from freezing. Albatrosses can fly for an entire year without touching land.

Tourists like me marvel at foreboding continent and the life that has perfectly adapted to it. Scientists dig and dive deep to learn about the Earth’s past and make predictions for the future. In fact, an Antarctic expedition team from New Zealand joined the ship. They provided scenic cruising commentary and offered lectures covering everything from Shackleton’s heroic trip to the icy tundra to how climate change is impacting Antarctica, and what that means for the rest of the world.

For a taste of what the lectures were like, take a look at the YouTube video below by one of the team members.

Over the four days, I felt like nature was giving me permission to admire a part of the world humans aren’t meant to see.

It’s easy to get caught up in a capitalism-driven way of life—having a career, being successful, owning a home, so on and so forth. Sailing around Antarctica was a humbling reminder of how microscopic I am. The fact that I simply exist is more amazing than any feat I could possibly accomplishment.

I reveled in my own insignificance.

Hungry for more travel reflections? Check out my thoughts on cruising around Africa HERE.