Chapter 8: Expedition Methods

Our last four days of the expedition were completely at sea. South Georgia is out there, and even in a modern vessel, it’s a long way back to South America. But it gave us time to decompress from all the stimuli. It also made us feel like real explorers!

It was also true that being on the ship was just as much a part of the expedition as anything else. We learned the floors and decks well. It became second nature to head to the briefing room, where our expedition leaders would give us the rundown on the upcoming day, or to hurry up to top deck to try to glimpse some wildlife. We knew the quickest route down to the mud room, which we used to change into our outdoor boots and clothing, and also disinfect to prevent contagion.

Zodiac cruisin’ while shooting zodiac cruisin’

Learning the art and science of riding the zodiacs was the most engaging aspect of the expedition. Two sailors would help you board from the gangway, while your pilot would help catch and seat you on one of the long rubber tubes of the raft. There’s a feel to riding the waves while trying to take pictures or video. And the landings are definitely adventurous: with big waves, the pilot will throw the zodiac into reverse to ride the wave to the shore so you can time your jumping out point to make it to dry land without getting soaked (not a good idea at these latitudes). Our expedition leaders were expert at positioning us in the narrowest of nooks and crannies to get intimate with penguins and seals. We even had one pilot take us up extremely close to a small iceberg so we could touch it.

Seeing a city-sized iceberg from water level, courtesy of a zodiac ride

We only participated in the most thrilling activity on the ship once: the polar plunge. Somewhere off the coast of Antarctica, not quite yet in open water, we stopped the ship. The captain gleefully told us the water was 31 degrees Fahrenheit—the salt content allowed the water to exist below freezing. For anyone who wanted, they could put on their bathing suit and jump off the gangway into the icy depths. Without a doubt, it was the coldest I had ever felt. Immediately upon surfacing after my jump, I scampered back to the gangway to be pulled up by sailors. They handed me a towel… and a shot of vodka—the sailors were all Russian. Safe to say we felt invigorated for several hours afterward.

Through all the expedition methods and activities though, my biggest takeaway was the connection to true adventure. We had to do everything in a certain way for safety. The weather dictated our day, what we could and couldn’t do. It was very far removed from how many on the planet live. In a way we were connected to the muses of the Earth. And it felt good to know that still exists in the world.