Does Alaska cruise go through Drake Passage?
Does Alaska cruise go through Drake Passage? Almost all Antarctica cruises have to traverse the infamously choppy Drake Passage, and Alaska cruises must emerge from the sheltered Inside Passage into the rougher waters of the Gulf of Alaska or the Pacific to reach their homeports.
Do cruise ships go through the Drake Passage?
Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent This exciting Antarctic cruise crosses the famed Drake Passage, explores the wildlife-rich shores of the South Shetland Islands, and makes numerous stops along the Antarctic Peninsula.
How deep is the ocean at the Drake Passage?
The Drake Passage is an extremely deep body of water with an average depth of up to 11,150 feet. However, it's thought that the ocean floor reaches depths of around 15,700 feet near the passage's southern and northern boundaries. That's 43 and a half football fields.
How many cruise ships have sunk in the Drake Passage?
The choppy waters of the Drake Passage, named after English explorer Sir Francis Drake, who never actually traveled through the waterway but sailed close to the location in 1578, are believed to have caused more than 800 shipwrecks.
How rough is Drake Passage today?
Today, modern ships can cross the Drake Passage and its waves very reliably, as they handle the swells better and have much more advanced navigation systems. However, the Drake Passage may well also be calm, which some people refer to as the 'Drake Lake'.
Does Drake Passage have icebergs?
As they continue to drift north, icebergs are usually pushed east by the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current funneling through the Drake Passage. From that point, icebergs often whip north toward the equator and quickly melt in the area's warmer waters.