Surviving the Drake Passage: How to Prepare for the Crossing
By Vámonos Amigo Ushuaia Team
This is travel advice, not medical advice; talk to your doctor about seasickness medication.
The Drake Passage is the stretch of open ocean between South America and Antarctica, and it has a reputation. Some crossings are calm as a lake, which the crews call the "Drake Lake." Others are the "Drake Shake," with big swells for most of the two-day crossing. Either way, you will get through it.
Start before you board. The best thing you can do for the Drake is arrive rested. Travelers who fly in exhausted and board the same day always feel worse. Give yourself a calm night or two on land, ideally somewhere quiet with a good bed and a spa.
Book it: A restful pre-voyage stay at Los Cauquenes or Arakur
Keep your first day easy. Skip the late night out. A gentle tour, like a short catamaran ride on the Beagle Channel, lets you feel the motion of a boat without wearing yourself out, and you'll learn quickly how your stomach handles the water.
Book it: Short Beagle Channel catamaran tour
Once you're at sea, here's what works:
- Talk to your doctor before the trip about patches or tablets, and start them when they advise, not after you feel sick.
- Stay in the middle of the ship and low down, where the motion is gentlest.
- Look at the horizon, get fresh air on deck when it's safe, and avoid reading in your cabin.
- Eat small, plain meals and drink water. Crackers and green apples are an old crew favorite.
- Lie down when it gets rough. Sleep is the best cure there is.
And remember why you're doing this. At the end of the Drake are icebergs, penguins and a silence you'll never forget.