Doing the Polar Plunge in Antarctica: What It's Actually Like
Most cruise lines going to Antarctica offer some version of a polar plunge, though not all of them. Some, like Princess, do a scenic sail-by of Antarctica and nothing more, no landings, no plunge. If your line actually gets you onto Zodiacs and off the ship, though, there's a decent chance the plunge is on the table. It is exactly what it sounds like: jumping into freezing cold water on purpose, for the sake of having done it, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Here's what it's actually like.
It's weather permitting, like everything else in Antarctica
Same as every landing on an expedition cruise, the plunge is never guaranteed, and you're not told in advance when it's happening. It gets scheduled whenever conditions allow, and you find out that same day. On our sailing, we knew that morning, before our first landing, that we'd be doing it. Come back, have lunch, then the whole ship does the polar plunge. Genuinely exciting news to wake up to.
It works differently depending on the cruise line
Some lines actually land you on the peninsula itself and you walk straight into the water from shore. Seabourn does it off Zodiacs instead.
How it actually works on Seabourn
The mudroom has its own atmosphere before anyone's even jumped. Everyone lines up, cheering for whoever's just gone while they’re waiting, and the crew offers shots either before you jump, after, or both, depending on your nerve. I, uh, went for both. :)
The atmosphere in the mud room prior to doing the polar plunge in Antarctica on Seabourn Venture.
Oh re: the audio on that video. - I don't know what was said to my husband right before I started recording, but that’s him pointing out that "there are no polar bears out here,” followed by a response of "that's true, but it's still the polar plunge." It is called the polar plunge, but my husband is correct - there are no polar bears in Antarctica. A polar bear has never met a penguin.
Back to how Seabourn does the polar plunge - two Zodiacs get tied together, side by side. You cross the first one to reach the second, which has a ladder attached to the far side for climbing back out. You're clipped into your line before you even step off the ship onto the Zodiac, not after, so there's no moment where you're unsecured. Right before you jump, you can hand your phone or camera to one of the crew standing by, and they'll film the whole thing for you, no extra charge. Then you jump.
The ship's doctor and photographer are both out there for it, along with a good number of crew, some of whom are doing the plunge right alongside the guests. I've since learned, apparently, that it's cruise director tradition to do the plunge when handing the ship over to the next one. That’s gotta turn into a lot of polar plunges!
And it’s not easy - the cold hits fast, and for a lot of people, including me, it's enough to start shaking uncontrollably the second you surface. That's exactly what the line is for. If you can't get yourself out, the crew member holding it will physically pull you back to the boat.
Getting clipped in for the polar plunge
It's below freezing, air and water both
The air temperature that day was below freezing to begin with. Then you get in the water, and it's below freezing too, genuinely, not a figure of speech. Ocean water can drop below the standard freezing point of 32°F and still stay liquid, because of how much salt is dissolved in it.
The second you're out, you stop being cold
Someone is waiting with a towel, your robe, and a shot, and you’ll absorb all three immediately. And somehow, you're just not cold anymore. If anything, you’re warm and full of energy and buzzing all over. I don't have a real explanation for that beyond a sharp difference in temperature plus a massive adrenaline rush tricking your body, but it's totally true, every time, for basically everyone.
Should you do it?
Check with your doctor first. Really. Make sure it's actually safe for you before you commit to it. Mine rolled his eyes when I asked, so take that for whatever it's worth. I also think that if there was a serious health risk involved with a polar plunge, cruise lines wouldn’t offer it.
But if you're even a little bit tempted, and your doctor isn't worried, do it. It's the kind of once-in-a-lifetime thing that's genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else on earth, and it comes with real bragging rights: you can say you swam in the same water as the penguins. One woman on our sailing even went back in multiple times just to see how long she could last. I went in once, got out, and called it a life achievement. Over half of our ship participated, but there was no judgment on anyone who decided to skip it.
Thanks to a Seabourn crew member, I have my own polar plunge on video, from clipping in to forgetting to take my phone back as I headed back into the ship. I'm not about to post it here, but book an Antarctica trip through me, and maybe I'll share! :)
