There was little fear among the more than 100 guests aboard Swan Hellenic's new expedition ship, the Vega, which sailed from Ushuaia, Argentina, in early December.
Three people died while on an expedition cruise in November. Two people died when the Zodiac capsized on the World Explorer. A passenger died on the Viking Polaris as it sailed towards Ushuaia after a rogue wave incident.
The Associated Press reported that a 62-year-old woman was struck by glass after the wave crashed through the cabin. Four other passengers were injured and are being investigated.
Sea travel in the polar regions comes with known risks. We have rigorous safety standards and industry trainings that all staff participate in.
The news was taken in stride by both passengers and travel advisers.
"Unfortunately, all travel comes with an inherent risk, andAntarctica is even more so," said Paul Cathcart, owner of Virginia-based Never Travel. My clients wanted to know if I was safe. I don't feel like I'm in danger. I listen to the crew and take precautions.
It's true that rogue waves, which are twice the size of surrounding waves, are uncommon, but giant waves are a fact of life in the 500-mile Drake Passage. Due to the collision of the Atlantic, Pacific andAntarctic oceans at the tip of South America, the Drake is a very deep ocean.
Cashman said crews should always be prepared in the event of an emergency. He holds training sessions on a daily basis for the bridge crew on a ship with an experienced crew. During the week of the Viking incident, he canceled three scheduled landings due to bad winds, but he didn't make any changes to his onboard procedures. If you drive them into the wind, they will flip.
The incidents were no longer a topic of discussion after a couple of days. The Zodiac incident didn't sit well with the owner of Three Seas Travel. She decided to ride them twice a day for five days.
She said that she was very nervous about the Zodiacs and the water was very cold.
I filmed people getting out of the Zodiacs and loading the Zodiacs. I can tell clients what it's like from my experience.
After the Viking incident, Mary Jean Tully went back-to-back on two expeditions on the Silver Endeavour and the Seabourn Venture. She said that the events didn't make her afraid.
She said that people die in car accidents on their way to the airport. No one has said that they want to cancel their trips or that it will deter them.
The incidents have raised questions about the proliferation of ships in the area since they must all come from a small base of experienced polar staff.
The president of a Seattle-based travel company used to be an expedition leader in the region and said that the lack of staff makes him look at how long a line has been open in the region before he books a client on a trip. He asks about the staff and their experience.
If you were planning a trip to Europe, you would want people who were knowledgeable about where you are and what you are doing.
The captain emphasized the importance of having experienced crew in polar regions. He said that with more ships and more experienced people retiring, a lot of young people are joining the crew for the first time.
She reported from the Vega in the middle of the ocean.
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