drake passage: myth vs fact.
WHO IS THE BOSS OF YOU??
Visiting Antarctica isn't just a personal epic experience--your experience will become family legend. The stories and photos you bring back with you will resonate across generations and inspire your loved ones to live life boldy! Crossing the Drake Passage is a small price to pay for establishing an incredible family legacy.
If the cost of this magical experience isn't an issue, and the only thing keeping you away is fear of the Drake Passage, please read on!
Remember, the more sensational the story, the wider the audience becomes; sensational moments are more exciting to report about and to pass along--calm seas are not.
"Which will hold greater rule over you? Your fear or your curiosity?"
—Wonder Woman
The Drake isn't something to fear, it's a right of passage that needs to be embraced!
MYTH #1: The Drake Passage is always rough.
· No. The Drake can also be incredibly calm, thus earning the nickname, "The Drake Lake". Everyone I personally know who has crossed this passage has experienced the calm waters of the Drake Lake; I have yet to interview someone with a "Drake Shake" experience.
· And don't confuse the first polar exploration ships or the 18th century English war ships with our modern "purpose built" ships! ;) The modern ships that cross the Drake are equipped with heavy-duty stabilizers and other engineering wonders that have been built specifically FOR sailing through the Drake and the rest of the polar regions.
MYTH #2: The crossing isn't worth the possible temporary discomfort.
· "This one couldn't be further from the truth. The Drake Passage is the gateway to one of the last truly wild places on Earth. For photographers, it's the small price of admission to photograph icebergs, penguins, whales, and seals in a landscape so untouched it feels like another planet. Many who cross the Drake look back on it as a rite of passage--an initiation into the exclusive club of those who have journeyed to the bottom of the world." --Kevin Pepper writing for Akari Photo Tours
· I picked a photography tour company to quote because Antarctica is all about the senses--especially visually; SO WORTH IT.
· Everyone I've spoken to about their experiences on and off the ship on an Antarctic cruise was gaga-excited about their experience; often left speechless, because there's no way to convey the majesty through words. No one was "meh" about it. No one said it wasn't worth the money or crossing the Drake--people actually said the Drake Passage was the least memorable part of their trip!
MYTH #3: You're stuck with nothing to do for 2 days.
· Choose the right company to travel with (me!), and the only times you'll be bored are the times you choose to be.
After going through weeks of polar certification processes, I narrowed my choices to 2 companies--ultimately choosing Viking because of a few things Viking does better: the ship is a bit larger (more stability), the spa area is larger and has more to offer, there are more public spaces, and there's a working laboratory onboard that we can visit.
Now that you know that crossing the Drake isn't dangerous, just possibly uncomfortable, let's discuss how to release unfounded fear-based decision-making.
Science has proven that anxiety and excitement have the same chemical effect on the body, and the only difference is our perception. (You can read about the study conducted by Alison Wood Brooks, a Harvard Business School professor, in the Harvard MagazineHERE, and a short summary in ForbesHERE.)
Professional athletes and public speakers have been using this method for years.
But first, it helps to understand that you've created a deep neural pathway of fear of the Drake, so your thoughts will continue to default to that, much like how water takes the path of least resistance. You will always fear the Drake until you create a NEW neural pathway of EXCITEMENT about it.
It's a simple process, but like anything new, it'll take practice and repetition to see results.
IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DENY YOURSELF THE TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE OF VISITING ANTARCTICA ...
For the next 30-45 days, take just 5 minutes every single day and do this simple exercise to stop making this decision from a place of fear--release those shackles!
1. Think about crossing the Drake and feel the fear. Feel your heart rate increase.
2. Then, VIVIDLY visualize something that you WANT to experience in Antarctica (penguins, whales, dramatic landscapes, the ship's extensive spa and world-class cuisine, kayaking on the bottom of the earth!), and make your elevated heart rate mean joy and excitement as in, "OMG. I can't believe I get to do this!"
3. Keep vividly visualizing the thing you're excited about for 1 or 2 more minutes and while smile you're doing this.
"Vividly" is the key to this exercise--don't just think about the penguins, see them diving off the blue-white icebergs into the sapphire water, see them waddling awkwardly across your path while you're standing on the 7th continent, hear their chatter, smell the the pure Antarctic air mingling with a bit of pungent penguin guano, and feel the bright summer sun on your face.
And smile--you're going to Antarctica!
