Thursday, January 7, 2010: Drake Passage

10:15 a.m. Update from Geoff Green, Expedition Leader

Our final day in Antarctica was another successful and unforgettable one.  We approached Deception Island in the morning, another sunny one, and found more Humpback whales in every direction.  Rough seas across the Bransfield Strait brought on some seasickness for some, but that would soon end with our arrival to Deception Island.  All hands were on deck as we sailed through Neptune's Bellows and into the inner Caldera and dropped anchor at Whaler's Bay.  This historic place was once the heart of Antarctic whaling, and the remains of the whaling station and old research station is still here.  Besides this human history, the volcanic history of Deception also makes it a fascinating and somewhat ominous place. Recorded eruptions every decade or two since the 1800's show how active it still is. The most famous eruption destroyed most of the station at Whaler's Bay in 1969.

We were able to land and spend 3 hours exploring the beach, the old tanks, buildings, whale bones, and more. Linda led a class in painting on the beach.  Fred and Olle told stories about the whalers and the geological history of the island.  Jim, Remy and Janet played music on the old tanks, and all the while we could see the steam rising off the beach where the geothermal forces are still working well.

Our final landing of the expedition took place later in the morning at Pendulum Cove, also located inside Deception Island.  The main goal for this landing was to go for our Antarctic swim!!  The geothermally heated waters on the shore make for a good hottub, but first all the students and staff had to dive into the 3 degrees Celsius water! It was quite a scene and lots of fun.  A great way to celebrate our incredible expedition over the past week.  So many incredible moments, 10 landings, 4 zodiac cruises.  Antarctica embraced us and we could not have possibly hoped for more.

The day ended with a wonderful evening of stories, songs, laughs, tears and reflecting on what we have all just experienced here in Antarctica. Our first expedition day ended with an amazing sunset, and as we began our journey towards the Drake Passage and back towards South America, another Antarctic sunset lit up the sea, sky, mountains and glaciers.

What a farewell...

It will take weeks, months and even years for these amazing students to fully digest and understand everything they have seen, done, experienced and felt here.  They are coming home with inspiration, motivation and a new understanding of the Antarctic continent and to some extent the Planet on which we live.  Over the next few days, the education program will focus on what it all means for each individual and what we can all do to be ambassadors, stewards, leaders and global citizens when we return home.

We are back in the Drake this morning and the seas are quite good. Making good speed.  Stay tuned for more student journals and photos.

Protect the Poles-Protect the Planet,

The trip back to Ushuaia across the Drake Passage from Antarctica has not been as smooth as the trip over. It has once again been an extraordinary experience watching students from all over the world come together. The exposure to so many unique and amazing sights and experiences has been overwhelming. It seems that it's been both yesterday and a lifetime ago that we left Ushuaia heading south. We have done more things in the past week than the vast majority of people ever dream of much less experience. My overriding impression of Antarctica is the ultimate place of whiter than white. Even when walking over the penguin guano of the rookeries, the penguins returning from the sea were pristine in appearance. It will probably be some time before I can actually absorb the experience and begin to see its impact on me.

- Wayne Lovstrom, Chaperone

Swimming in Antarctica was the best way to end our trip in Antarctica. The day consisted of 3 landings on Deception Island but the best part of the day for me was definitely the swimming. After dinner we all rushed to get ready and change into our swimsuits, which I thought would not be suffice to endure the wind and cold. When we got off the zodiac everyone ran onshore and watched as the “hot tub” was dug up. Then, after Jim ran into the water, everyone ran into the ocean. The water was warm by the shore but when I put my head and entire body into the ocean I felt the cold run through my body. I immediately ran out of the water and straight into the “hot tub”, which was simply a large hole dug next to the shore. The water was burning, so after a couple of minutes I could feel my back burn. Everyone began to complain not of the cold but of the burning hot water, which turned out to be 105 degrees F.

Unlike some other people, I stayed in the “hot tub” and did not dare go back into the water. It was so much fun to see everyone get into the ocean and then sprint into the “hot tub.” When it was time to leave no one wanted to because it was our last time on the Antarctic Peninsula. This trip has been amazing, and I do not want it to end but on board the M/V Ushuaia we haven’t had time to think about that because we have been busy with workshops and lectures.

- Nicole Rodriguez-Fierro

Yesterday was amazing. Deception Island, an old whaling station, stepping out into the bow with wet hair in just PJ's and crocs! All and all though, the highlight of my day today was swimming in negative 4 degree water not once, but twice. I couldn't get enough of the water. I later lay down on the beach shore where the sand, rocks, and water were scorching. I ran in with Rebecca, Taylor, and Andrea. I can't believe my adventures in the Antarctic have come to an end. It has been. Although I've missed having contact with the "outside world," I very much enjoyed this mini hiatus. I've experienced things, and have made friendships that will last a lifetime, but now it's time to take action back home. Oh, I'm also anxiously awaiting the not so kind "Drake Quake," and sea sickness tomorrow and the day after.

- Petra Ovalles, Participant

The last days of the Antarctica Expedition have been so wonderful! As I sit here writing this, I can now say I'm an official member of the Antarctic swim team. I just freshly got back from jumping out of the ocean at Pendulum Cove! Whooo! It was cold but so worth it. And after that we got into our man-made hot tub which was made from geothermal water from the volcano.

Earlier today, after I was seasick again, we visited an old whaling station in Neptune's Cove. It was so cool to see but kind of sad as well. I liked seeing the old boats and shacks that have been there for so long. It made me feel like I went back in time and I like learning about some of the history in Antarctica. We hiked up to Neptune's window and the view was so beautiful. You could actually see the Antarctic continent when you looked out over the water.

It's sad to say, but this is our last day in Antarctica. It's been the best and most life changing adventure in the world. I can't wait to come back and share everything that I've learned with everyone. It's not common for people to get to come to this place and I feel very humbled by this opportunity. It's kind of sad saying goodbye to our new home but as we all move forward with life I know that we all do great things. Bye for now.

- Tara Haley, Participant

On our way back north, traversing the Drake Passage. There is a definite swell and roll. Anticipation of the "Drake Shakes" had a run on meds to prevent seasickness last night but almost all are doing well. Ryden is in the lounge learning how to tie knots. A good skill to have and certainly better than my "if you don’t know knots tie lots" approach.

We all swam in the Antarctic ocean yesterday inside a volcanic caldera and then warmed up in a manmade hot tub along the beach with water heated by geothermal energy. Truly unique and would have been a wonderful option all those years ago flying up north where to be clean was to jump into a freezing northern lake.

Just reflecting on the incredible scenery we have been blessed to see over the last few days. There truly is nothing else like it on earth.

- JN Armstrong, Expedition Doctor

"Swimming" in the Antarctic waters was one the most memorable experiences of my life. The reason that there are quotations around the word swimming is because no one actually had the guts to swim in the water. The water was 37 degrees, the air temperature was 37 degrees, and the hot tub hole water was 105 degrees F. Upon arriving to the island where we would all take our anticipated dip in the Antarctic waters, I ran to the middle of the beach, threw down my things, and got ready to jump in. As we started to strip down, the realization of how cold the water actually was started to hit us. So that I wouldn't re-think getting in the water, as soon as I finished taking off my socks I ran into the water. At first the water is warm nearer the shore, but then the water suddenly drops in temperature along with the ground beneath it. So not only did I get an unexpected surprise of warm to cold water in seconds but I also fell, face forward, into the 37 degree water. It was awful but amazing at the same time. My body was frozen still for a few seconds and then all I could think of to do was run out of that water as fast as I could. Running through my head as I sprinted out of the water was the idea of the nice warm hot tub. Ironically enough the hot tub was too hot for me to even sit in it at first. I eventually submerged myself in the boiling water and sat in it for what seemed like 2 hours. Everyone around me was having the same problem that I was having with the boiling water but eventually we all calmed down and let the warm water quell us.

Apparently our SOI group achieved an Antarctic record of making the longest hot tub on Deception Island. There were at least 50 of us lying in the warm water/sand on beach. It was amazing to just lie in the water contemplating what I had just done...swam in the Antarctic. Now if someone were to ask me if I would do it again, I probably would have to say no. It was amazing, but now that I know what cold waters await me in the Antarctic I don't think I could put myself through it again. I would however tell other people that it is a once in a lifetime experience that everyone who gets the chance should try at least once.

- Christina Rodriguez-Fierro

While standing on the bridge earlier this evening, it was easy to imagine how explorers of old may have felt in this same region of the world just a short time ago. These are the waters of the great adventurers and I wonder, with a bit of envy, what the Drake Passage experience might have been like on a great wooden sailing ship. As the wind picked up this afternoon, a snow squall began and the swells tossed our ship around like a cork on a vast, grey ocean - brilliant!

As we begin our five day journey back to our everyday realities, it is hard to believe that our Antarctic expedition is coming to an end. Leaving the sights and sounds of Antarctica behind has inspired a multitude of emotions and I’ve begun to contemplate how best to encapsulate the learning of the last few days. There is a wall of graffiti in the Argentinean port that perhaps encompasses it all quite simply: Ushuaia - were the world ends and everything else begins. Antarctica is the beginning of something wonderful…..who knows where this adventure will lead!

- Jacqueline Phillips, Chaperone

Here we are sailing the Drake Passage once again. It is a little rougher than our journey here, but still not as bad as it can be. I am feeling really great! I would say that I am seasick safe! Whoo! Last night Antarctica said goodbye to us in the most beautiful way imaginable; the sunset was perfect. The most gorgeous thing I have ever seen, just as we saw the last of the Antarctic continent. I stood out on deck for a while all alone just soaking in this incredible place. It truly is a spectacular place and no matter what it takes, I will be back here. I ended up shedding a few tears as we said goodbye, but I had our expedition leader’s shoulder to cry on. I think I was crying more out of happiness than sadness.

Today has been a very fun day. We have been listening to lectures and enjoying workshops on different subjects. The big thing we are doing as the expedition comes to a close is working on becoming Generation G: Global. Generous. Grateful. Green. I remember these things from the Arctic Expedition, but I know that this expedition is only going to add to the incredible things that I learned. This expedition has been absolutely incredible and I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

- Jenna Gall, Participant

Yesterday was our last day in Antarctica, and definitely the best! It started out at the whaling station in the volcano. It was interesting, with a rich history of whaling, but when I hiked the short distance up to Neptune's window, I was speechless. Neptune's window separates the volcano from the ocean and the view of both sides is spectacular. I sat on a rock at Neptune's window for more than an hour and it was amazing! Shortly after the landing at the whaling station the ship took us around a corner and we went in the zodiacs for our last Antarctic landing, and the most exciting! It was the Antarctic swim. I thought that once I got there I would chicken out and it would be hard to convince myself to go in because of the cold, even though I'm usually up for a challenge; but I went in the cold water right away and then got in the nice hot water, created by digging into the warm ground. The water didn't feel as cold as I thought it would, but I later found out the cold water and the air temperature was 37 degrees F and the water in the "hot tub" was very hot, recorded at 105 degrees F. It was the most amazing day of my life, and I'm sad it's time to head home. Some call me crazy, but I hoped that the Drake would be less calm today than on the way to Antarctica so we would get the full experience. Today, there was more motion than the calm "Drake Lake" on the way south, but not quite up to the full "Drake Shake". I have thus far avoided sea-sickness without the use of any medicine! Hopefully, the trend will continue tomorrow!

Stay Tuned for Yesterday's Photos and Journals!