On December 7, 2010, the cruise ship Clelia II had begun the final crossing of its weeklong Antarctic cruise. What remained of the journey was the notoriously dangerous Drake Passage between Antarctica and South America. And that day the ship was hit by a massive wave that shattered one of its bridge windows and damaged the Clelia ’snavigational equipment.

Its 88 passengers were primarily American retirees, many of whom had paid more than $ 9,000 for their Antarctic adventure, and whose daylong stranding in the rough waters of the Drake Passage was the most dangerous thing that happened on their adventure in the Southern Ocean. Luckily for them–and the surrounding ecosystem–the ship was quickly repaired, averting a tragedy the humans on board and the surrounding wildlife that would have been affected if the ship had sunk and/or spilled fuel.

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Scientific American - News