This is the Drake Passage, often referred to as the deadliest stretch of water on Earth.

At its worst, its waves can reach up to 60 feet or 18 meters tall, but that is just the

beginning.

Storms can go on for days with waves arriving from all directions.

There are countless videos detailing the insane conditions here and the thousands of sailors

who've lost their lives trying to cross it.

And so you would assume there are countless stories of the ships lost here, but details

are actually not as available as you might think.

So in this video we're going over the Drake Passage and why it's so notorious, the few

notable instances here and the role played by Antarctica in these stories,

and the somewhat mysterious reason why, despite thousands of lives lost, detailed accounts are hard to come by.

As always, viewer discretion is advised.

On the night of November 29, 2022, a cruise ship known as the Viking Polaris was partway through a treacherous crossing that every Antarctic voyage has to make called the Drake Passage.

The ship was heading north bound for Ushwaya, Argentina,

after turning back from Antarctica, and the reason hadn't been ideal. One day earlier,

during an excursion using inflatable zodiac boats, one passenger was hurt and another had fallen

into the water. The incident was serious enough that the crews had to be disrupted

to arrange a medical evacuation.

By the time the ship entered the open waters near Cape Horn in Chile, everyone on board knew

the trip south hadn't gone its plant, but they had no idea the things were about to get

a lot worse.

As the Polaris continued on its way, without warning, a massive wave slammed into the side

...