Incredible Facts about the Drake Passage
Discover the Drake Passage, one of the world’s most fabled waterways and a must-do for every adventurer en route to Antarctica.
If you assumed that Antarctica’s most famous waterway was first sailed by British explorer Sir Francis Drake, you’re not alone. The truth behind its somewhat misleading name is just one of many interesting facts about the Drake passage.
Drake never actually sailed these waters.
While the Drake Passage is the shortest route from Antarctica to the rest of the world, Sir Francis Drake actually opted for the less dangerous, albeit much longer, Strait of Magellan. Nevertheless, this part of the ocean became named after the renowned circumnavigator when one of his ships drifted far south after passing through the Strait of Magellan in 1578. Having realized there might be a connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, Drake and his crew inadvertently discovered what would become named Drake Passage.
The first person on record for sailing through the Drake Passage’s choppy waters was a Dutchman named Willem Schouten. Schouten traversed the passage in 1616, almost forty years after Drake’s initial Antarctic exploration.
It's a rite of passage.
Traversing the Drake Passage is likely to be on the bucket list of many an intrepid explorer. It remains an important part of exploring the continent of Antarctica and an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some of history’s greatest explorers.
It’s also guaranteed to be an adventure, as there’s no particular time of the year when the crossing is calm. Luckily, modern vessels are able to handle the waves brilliantly.
Hidden depths.
Connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, this particular waterway is an impressive 620 miles (997 kilometers) wide – about the distance from London to Berlin. Its average depth is 11,150 feet, although the ocean floor is thought to reach up to 15,700 feet deep near the passage’s southern and northern boundaries.
An extraordinary location.
Where is the Drake Passage? This particular body of water connects two regions that seem impossibly far away. It extends from Cape Horn at South America’s southernmost tip to Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands and serves as the shortest route possible to the icy continent. En route, you’ll pass the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, both of which have their own extraordinary stories to tell.
Water, water everywhere…
There’s around 600 times the amount of water in the Drake Passage as there is in the Amazon River. It moves with a strong eastward current, passing through at an estimated 125-200 million cubic yards per second, explaining its notoriety among explorers.
Sailing conditions make for a thrilling crossing.
The Drake Passage is famously choppy and sailing through it is often an exhilarating adventure. It’s the convergence of oceans and temperatures that makes this region so lively, with cyclones that form in the warm Pacific sweeping into the passage below the cape.
Which leads to the question, is it safe to sail through the Drake Passage? Quite simply, yes. As you follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle, you’ll enjoy the benefit of modern forecasting, advanced technology and developments in the design of seafaring vessels, all of which make the route safe to travel today.
Now that you’re familiar with all the most important facts about the Drake passage, you’re ready to experience its wild and dynamic nature for yourself, with an HX Antarctica cruise. There are plenty of expeditions to choose from, including Highlights of Antarctica on the MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen.
