The Drake Passage sits between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands. It’s roughly 500 nautical miles of open ocean where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans converge. No landmass interrupts the flow of wind and water at these latitudes anywhere else on earth, which is what gives the Drake its reputation. That reputation is both earned, and exaggerated. (In fact, a small team of brave explorers once crossed the Drake in a rowboat.)
The geography that creates the conditions
The Drake sits in the "Furious Fifties" and "Screaming Sixties”, the bands of latitude where westerly winds circle the globe unimpeded. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the strongest ocean current on earth, moves approximately 600 times the volume of the Amazon River through this passage. When strong winds align with this current and there is no land to break up the swell, waves can build to 10 meters or more. These aren't freak conditions, they're the normal operating environment.
Drake Lake vs. Drake Shake
Expedition travelers have settled on two terms that capture the range of experience:
Drake Lake describes a crossing where the swell is low, the ship barely rolls, and passengers who braced for the worst spend two days slightly disappointed. These crossings happen.
Drake Shake describes what most people fear: sustained heavy swells, significant ship motion, and the kind of conditions that send a portion of the passenger list to their cabins for the duration.
Everything in between makes up the remainder. The forecast site Drake Passage Weather and the fun magic 8 ball Shake or Lake page can give you an idea of conditions.
What the crossing actually feels like
The motion of a ship in heavy swells is different from anything most travelers have experienced. It is not nausea-inducing in the way a car on a winding road is. It is more like being inside something very large that is being pushed, rolled, and occasionally dropped by forces completely indifferent to your comfort. The sounds may surprise you: water against the hull, the creak of the ship working, things sliding if not properly secured.
Modern expedition ships are equipped with stabilizers that reduce rolling considerably. They help. They do not eliminate the motion. Most people find their sea legs within 12-24 hours if the crossing is rough.
Medication
Seasickness medication works. It works considerably better when taken before you feel sick rather than after. The most commonly used options among Antarctica travelers are scopolamine patches, meclizine, and dimenhydrinate. Some travelers swear by ginger. Some use prescription medications obtained before departure. The universal advice from expedition teams: start your medication before the ship clears the Beagle Channel and leaves the protected waters of Tierra del Fuego, not when you start to feel unwell.
The crossing has something to offer
Two days of open ocean is also two days of some of the best seabirding in the world. Wandering albatross, black-browed albatross, giant petrels, cape petrels, and numerous other species follow the ship across the Drake, riding air currents with a casual mastery that makes the ship's struggling through the same air feel almost comic. Whales occasionally appear. The first icebergs typically become visible in the final hours of the southbound crossing. For many travelers, seeing that first berg is one of the defining moments of the voyage.
The expedition team uses the Drake crossing for lectures, briefings, and orientation. By the time you arrive at the South Shetland Islands you know more about where you’re about to go and why it matters. This context shapes everything that follows.
Pros of sailing the Drake
- The crossing itself is a rite of passage with real emotional weight
- Two days of extraordinary open-ocean wildlife including multiple albatross species
- Time to settle into the ship, meet fellow passengers, and prepare mentally for Antarctica
- The arrival to Antarctica lands differently after earning it
- No flight delays or weather holds in Punta Arenas
Cons of sailing the Drake
- Two days each way that are not spent in Antarctica
- A chance of significant seasickness
- Unpredictable conditions that cannot be planned around
Last reviewed: June 17, 2026
