pdmlynek
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Posts posted by pdmlynek
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2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:
Based on what I have read and my knowledge of RHIB's, my best guess for root cause is the boat was contacted by a large underwater mammal, causing an upwards force. Another less likely possibility is contact with an uncharted underwater obstruction.
The term "Explosion" was used by a passenger to describe the event and has not been proven by facts that have been published, at this time.
Thank you for your explanation.
I agree that I do not think that there was any "explosion", as in a violent chemical reaction. It sounds like that the passengers described a rapid decompression of a boyancy bladder.
Do RHIBs have some sort of automatic inflation devices like many liferafts?
Is it possible that the rapid decompression was caused by just normal wear & tear? Is it possible that it was just an older boat, and given the right stresses at the moment, it just went off?
Or maybe given that the decompression was in a bladder under the boat which may be scrapped against the beach rocks when the RHIB hits the shore? Could there have been some fracture in the bladder developed earlier in the cruise?
You may be right that it might have been a collision with a large underwater mammal. The Trusdale video shows penguins leaping out of the water about 3 seconds before the incident.
Is this another danger of travel to Antarctica that we need to be aware of? Killer penguins? Penguins hunting tourists? Zodiac killers?
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On 12/2/2022 at 3:36 PM, Heidi13 said:
Provided the pressure relief valves are operating, the inflation collars cannot be over inflated, as each compartment has 1 or more pressure relief valves. When topping off the collars, we continued inflating them until the relief valves let go, which is how they are tested.
During annual recertification the pressure relief valves are blocked and the collar is inflated to 2x to 3x the working pressure. Therefore the fabric and heat welded seams are capable of handling significantly more pressure.
Thank yo ufor the explanation. What do you think that happened in this case then? Why would a compartment explode so?
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On 11/19/2022 at 4:58 PM, sippican said:
Quark has been in the business of providing expedition cruising for 30 years. So sad for the families of these victims.
It is weird that an inflatable boat would overturn, but once a boat overtuns, dying of hypothermia is not unforeseen.
What surprises me is that death from overturned boats, such as kayaks, associated with cruising in Antarctica, Alaska, etc. do not occur more frequently. My understanding is that the cruise line does check if the passenger can roll the kayak and upright self.
Given how incredibly safety concious anything about a cruise is, I am pretty shocked that the cruise operators let people do that.
The reason that I write the above is that I am pretty comfortable being under water, but when I started kayaking, and was given instructions on how to get out of a flipped over kayak (head forward, hands front to pop the skirt, hands back to push off the kayak, do a forward somersault out, pulling your legs out), it was still pretty scary getting out for real the first time. It was nothing that I've ever experienced before -- being trapped upside down, with head hanging down, leg immobolized, flailing hands doing nothing, is pretty panic-worthy. And that was under controlled conditions, in warm water, and I was all mentally ready for it. Now, after kayaking for several years, I could get out of a rolled kayak in my sleep (I never did manage to learn how to upright, despite many weeks of lessons and attempts over the years).
I cannot imagine how a person who has never been kayaking, flips over unexpectedly due to own carelessness, while wearing bulky clothes, in 4 C water, is expected to self recover. I would think that relatively few novice kayakers would be able to self rescue, and would drown very easily. And even if they do get out of the kayak, then what? Swim ashore? Wait for a rescue boat? If a person survives the shock and does not drown while exiting the sea kayak, surely he'll be dead within 10 min of hypothermia.
But I suspect that I am wrong, and that these kayak trips are indeed safe. I just can't figure where I am wrong.
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8 hours ago, scouseronline said:
We are visiting Santorini in September 2023, unfortunately the day we arrive (8:30am to 10pm) there are 4 large ships in port, with potentially 14,000 passengers. Normally this doesn't bother me, but the fact that you have to take a cable car to the top from the port is really putting a damper on this day. I read that the cable cars can move up to 600 people per hour, so we could be stuck waiting hours. 3 ships will have arrived by 8am so more than 9,000 passengers by 8am. This must be a nightmare for people who have private trips booked.
We walk about 5K most days, how difficult is it to walk to the top rather than wasting hours waiting for the cable car ? Thanks
I am perplexed fear of walking up to Fira is perpetuated on Cruise Critic. We are in late 50s, not in the best shape, and had no problem walking up the stairs. If you walk about 5 km every day, it will be trivial to you.
Just two things to point out. Firstly, the stairs are at parts rather smooth, so they may be slippery. Make sure to wear appropriate foot gear. Secondly, there is donkey poop on the trail; it did not bother me, but some people find it objectionable.
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On 10/26/2021 at 1:38 PM, PerfectlyPerth said:
Bearing in mind of course that the IAATO rules regarding not peeing (or worse) on land are extremely clear.
https://iaato.org/blog/dont-hug-the-penguins-and-other-rules-in-antarctica-3/https://iaato.org/blog/dont-hug-the-penguins-and-other-rules-in-antarctica-3/
Treating Antarctica as some sterile environment is weird. After all, penguin and other birds are able to bring microbes from other parts of the world to Antarctica just fine. So can ocean currents or dust particles. Antarctica is not isolatable from the rest of the world -- the ozone hole demonstrates that.
However, if we do presume that Antarctica is isolatable, then a ban on pooping makes sense. Fecal matter contains microbes. I presume that there is a reason why a human feces is harmful to Antarctica, yet millions of penguin pooping is somehow OK.
On the other hand, what is the issue with urine? Urine is sterile. Is the ban on urination just a measure to telegraph that defecating is banned? Or is there more to it that I am not seeing?
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3 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:
1. Yes, that's the airport. We flew in from Punta Arenas, Chile, on DAP (Antarctic Airways) charters. They had 3 planes for all the cruise passengers. They took off and landed 30 minutes apart. I don't know if there are flights in from Argentina or not - but I doubt it. Our transportation was part of the Silversea "Antarctica Bridge" program - they take care of all logistics. As far as I know, Silversea is the only cruise line that offers an air bridge to Antarctica.
2. No. The ship was in King George Island's harbor. We flew to the island with our luggage, and then were bused down to the harbor shore and went out by zodiac. The cruise line took care of getting the luggage from the planes to the ship and to our cabins. There was a restriction of one bag, 50 pounds or less. You were allowed one carry on, and a personal item.
3. The ship was never at Punta Arenas. It was already down in Antarctica. They do several "Air Bridge" cruises, and then after the last air bridge cruise, they head across the Drake with just crew to go to Port Williams for reprovisioning and taking on new passengers there for a longer, non-air bridge cruise.
4. It's more expensive to fly than to sail the Drake, I believe. At least, our cruise was pretty expensive. Yes, you lose 2 days for the trip down and 2 days for the trip back, if you went by boat. But those 2 days could be Drake Lake or Drake Shake. It was worth it for me not to take the risk of 2 days being seasick followed by a possible additional 2 days returning and also being seasick. I've been badly seasick before and I'd rather die.
5. It's one or the other. You are either on the "Air Bridge" cruise or on a regular cruise. You can't do a split.
6. I don't have a clue what those penalties are. All I can say is that we did show our passports in Punta Arenas, Chile to get on the plane. Had to do a declaration that we weren't carrying knives, guns, sharp implements, etc. Flew to the airport on King George Island (which is a gravel runway), got off the plane, walked onto a bus, drove down to the harbor's edge, got in the Zodiac and was taken to the ship. Turned in our passport once we got on the ship and collected it on the last day as we left the ship to fly back to the mainland.
7. We were on the last "Air Bridge" cruise. The ship took us to the airport at 11:00 a.m. and was expected to depart for Port Williams in the afternoon. If the weather had been bad and flights cancelled, I assume that they would have taken us back onboard and taken us to Port Williams with them. Since the weather was nice, however, we didn't have to do that. There is nowhere on King George Island where we could have stayed overnight if the planes had been canceled.
8. There was no way to do an independent trip to King George Island. The "Air Bridge" package starts and ends in Santiago, Chile. The cruise line flies all passengers to Punta Arenas together, puts them all into hotels in Punta Arenas, and then flies them all to King George Island to meet the ship. And does the reverse on the way back. Could you plan your own trip to King George Island for a backpacking hike or whatever? I suppose so. DAP does do other flights to King George Island other than Silversea charters. But I have no idea really about that.
Thank you very much for taking time out of your day, and providing me (and hopefully others) with this detailed explanation. I really appreciate it.
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1 hour ago, pdmlynek said:
"...With the exception of ASPA125 and ASPA150, and presumably the several stations, are there any other areas of Fildes Peninsula?..."
should read:
With the exception of ASPA125 and ASPA150, and presumably the several stations, are there any other areas of Fildes Peninsula that are off limits to tourists?"
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On 2/21/2023 at 12:30 PM, Rothko1 said:
I just did the "Bridge" trip where you fly into King George Island instead of taking the Drake. The expedition leader told us the seas has waves up to 6 meters for what would have been the trip over AND the trip back. So grateful I didn't cross the Drake.
That being said, flying into Antarctica can be just as weather-reliant as sailing. If the weather is bad in the South Shetland islands, the planes won't fly, or they will turn around. We were lucky - our flying weather was good. A couple on our ship, however, had been scheduled on a Bridge cruise before ours, and it got canceled because they couldn't fly out to meet the ship.
Thank you for this. A few newbie questions, if you don't mind.
(1) The flight to South Shetland Islands is to the Chilean Marsh Airport, correct? If so, then are the flights for cruisers generally from Chile as well, or do they fly there from USH as well?
(2) I take it that you meet with your ship in Punta Arenas (or Ushuaia) before the cruise, and the ship takes your luggage?
(3) Do you fly out the same day as the ship leaves and you wait for them at Base Friei, or does the ship leave first and then you fly out there day or two later?
(4) Is it significantly cheaper to fly then to sail? Flying just seems like an extra headache, and it robs you of two or four sea days.
(5) Can you decide to fly only one leg, such as outbound or return, or do you have to book both?
(6) Because you are not crossing any international boundaries while on the ship, do you have to pay any cabottage penalties?
(7) I presume that if the weather is predicted to be too bad for a return flight, then you would just remain on board, right? They are not just going to let you off at Base Frei with the hope of making it back with the next flight, right?
(8) Is there any chance of spending some time on King George by yourself? Say, a few hours, or a few days, or a week? Just go out and enjoy back packing around the King George Island? Can you catch an ealier flight out to King George or catch a later flight out? With the exception of ASPA125 and ASPA150, and presumably the several stations, are there any other areas of Fildes Peninsula?
Thanks!
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On 8/11/2022 at 11:17 AM, MSUjohn said:
since my first time going over seas in 2000 to the present day, i have never once used traveler's checks or a currency exchange. i have always used an atm; from costa rica to the czech republic.
Well, i don't think that traveler's checks (TCs) are on anyone's mind anymore. They have been obsolete for the past quarter of century, as you wrote.
Now, you can use credit cards when traveling; very few people outside the US knew what a credit card was, let alone accepted it. And the only card that they typically accepted was Amex.
Likewise, there were no ATMs in most countries until recently, and for a long time they did not accept any card except for the own bank's cards, let alone debit cards from abroad.
So, you had to travel without credit cards, and without access to ATMs. That meant using cash. You'd be traveling with thousands of USDs (by now equivalent to tens of thousands in today's money), and you'd exchange it into local currency whatever country you were in. Now we have Euros, so you dont need to exchange it as much.
Because many people were not comfortable traveling with that much cash, so they used TCs. It cost you money to buy them, it cost you money to redeem them. I never used them, and just traveled with cash.
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On 5/10/2022 at 6:44 AM, marazul said:
Not really. That would require a trip to the bank instead of just putting the euros in their pocket.
Think about tipping someone in the US in euros. If you are tipping in cash, always tip in the local currency.
I agree about tipping or paying in local currency, but @jas283a wrote about tipping ship personnel. On US based ships the currency is USD even when traveling in Europe.
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Two days is not much time, but it is more than the 8 to 12 hrs that most cruisers spend. A few points.
(1) I agree with @Sinbadssailors about Akrotiri. It is an excellent archaeological site. It is a huge, covered site. For whatever reason, there were very few people there when we visited.
(2) I agree with @Sinbadssailors about sunset dining in Oia, though dining in Fira may be on the similar level.
(3) I would not stay in Oia but in Fira, because Fira is centrally located, and you can take a bus from Fira to anywhere on the island. Oia is just on the end, thus you'd need to bus or drive from Oia to Fira to even start your journey.
(4) The walk from Fira to the cruise ship port is fine; as @Sinbadssailors we too are just in average shape and had no problem walking it up in 40 min and down in leisurely 20. But I would not waste my time doing that. Instead I'd do the hike from Oia to Fira along the camera (per Cruisecritic policy I can't recommend since we have not done it).
(5) We also were considering but didn't do (thus can't recommend) visiting the small islands in the camera to see the hot springs.
Good luck, and once you get back, please let us know what you did, and how it was.
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4 hours ago, Sea42 said:
We were on the first cruise after the fire. Crew members openly talked about passengers that had been doing flaming shots (lit alcohol) on the balcony. True or not? I have no idea but it was talked about at the time.
Wow! Thanks! 😯
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On 5/3/2022 at 11:48 AM, cboyle said:
My extremely detailed report on this expedition is now online at Cruise Critic. Here is the link:
To the Ross Sea and Beyondhttps://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=686318
Thank you for the report. It was very captivating!
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On 7/9/2022 at 12:48 PM, PerfectlyPerth said:
On one of my trips we had a polar swimmer on board doing a series of 1km swims to raise awareness about pollution & environment & over fishing etc.
During one swim there was an urgent radio call from the captain - who from high up on the bridge could see what the support crew down on the zodiac couldn't. A fast moving big bull fur seal heading towards the swimmer !!!! He swam a record fast few metres back into safety of the zodiac 🤣🤣
Wow, I had no idea that a bull fur seal is such a threat. What was the danger? That the seal thought that the swimmer was a penguin?
But, wow, a series of 1 km swims is impressive! Heck even 100 m in ice water is impressive.
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2 hours ago, kaisatsu said:
I think that would be great! I really look forward to seeing the statistics you come up with. They will indeed be very useful information to share with future travelers.
Well, my very brief look into this has not turn up anything, but I am sure that such data is out there, and is analyzable. If so, I'll post it her in due time. 🙂
Actually, given your expertise in Antarctica, particularly cruising in Antarctica -- you seem to be the most knowledgeble person on the subject -- I am surprised that you did have this information at your fingertips just like you have about almost any subject on Antarctica.
Your contributions to cruisecritic are important; I am one of your many fans.
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2 hours ago, kaisatsu said:
Sorry, it looks like I was wrong. It’s not an IAATO guideline, but one set by the Antarctic Treaty administration:
https://www.ats.aq/devAS/Ats/Guideline/e36c1a8f-3ae7-4187-9b24-194c8cf5e780
Deception Island (and particularly Whaler’s Bay) sees some of the highest visitor numbers of any landing site. Perhaps having several landings group per day digging up the beach was contributing to erosion or otherwise disrupting the local ecosystem?
The penguins, on the other hand, would be there anyway. The goal of IAATO is to minimize the impact of human visitors on the region. Not to try to “fix” the existing ecosystem in any way.
Thanks!
I think that if I ever get to decide to do Antarctica cruise, that visiting Deception Island would be one of the top destinations for me to look forward to. (Yes, I know that you can't predict where the ships will end up sailing to.)
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2 hours ago, kaisatsu said:
No, not normal at all! 😂 See my post above for the general explanation. The original trip was scheduled to be 30 days, and it ended up being 40 with the COVID closures.
Oops, sorry that I missed the post above. 😞
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2 hours ago, jsn55 said:
How I wish we had a 'frowny face' to use so posters would stop arguing with each other.
Sorry. 😞
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5 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:
First, to be clear, we *always* travel with our little ziploc with proper pharmacy label for prescription meds, and we *always* check carefully about the laws/regs in any country we'll be visiting, and we get official permissions if needed.
However... about relying upon the "proper container with the proper label"...??
[And note, we always have Rx meds in properly labelled containers when traveling, as stated above. ALWAYS.]
Who is to say that what is IN those properly labeled containers is what "belongs in them"? Once one starts questioning what the meds look like, it isn't likely to matter what the container has written on it. There's going to be some serious time spent investigating and comparing and hopefully nothing worse.
One goal is to not draw attention to one's self by any untoward behavior or inappropriate comments. (Borders are not the place for snarky comments, no matter how tempting!)
AND to be prepared for an occasional "spot check" or being the next arbitrarily selected "person to be searched", etc.
Having meds in their original containers isn't actually proof in and of itself, unless the agent has some sort of photographic memory, and can quickly determing, "Oh, yes, these *are* 5mg tablets of <X> and those are 1mg tablets of <Y>. All good!"
We've got plenty of documentation/paperwork with us (and copies on laptops and in the cloud) "just in case..."
GC
I agree. That makes total sense. 🙂
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9 hours ago, donaldsc said:
That is a real waste of money in my opinion.
DON
I wrote that wrong.
I meant that I have enough medicine to last me through the travel. After I consume my last pill, I simply toss the empty bottle. Sorry.
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22 hours ago, ldubs said:
You mean you toss the actual prescription from the physician? I don't have an RX in paper format. I bring the med containers with the RX labels. As explained by others I bring a few extra counts of the med's in case I get held over. Happened to us last year when we had a return delay due to COVID.
I am sorry, my bad. I meant that after I use the last pill, I just toss the empty bottle.
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On 2/16/2023 at 3:32 PM, sanger727 said:
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I don't care what the TSA's rules are; controlled substances are illegal to possess, and most certainly illegal to carry over state lines without a valid prescription.
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I think that the job of the Transportation Security Administration is the security of transportation. That means, that they want to make sure that passengers do not bring anything on board of planes, trains, and other public conveyances that would be dangerous to the travelig public or to the operation of said conveyance.
From their website (which may be wrong), they are not looking for foods that shouldn't be imported into the destination country, or for stolen items, or trademark infringing products, or endangered species transportion, or drugs. They have other police and agencies for these things. In any case, those things are usually searched for at the destination airport. The job of TSA is supposed to be security.
But if TSA does more than just security of transportation, I welcome a correction.
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On 2/15/2023 at 7:48 AM, poocher said:
So true, why do the scripts bottle have to be so big?!?!
I agree. This is a serious problem for me when I travel. I'd like to take the original bottle, but if I did that, then it would take some serious room in my first aid kit.
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On 2/17/2023 at 7:32 PM, Aquahound said:
They know. They are identifiable by the imprints.
Well, sure the more sophisticated ones can look at in PDR or other similar publication or websites, but do they really have time to mess around like that?
In any case, the point remains: if you are going to have them try to differentiate between legal and illegal drugs, then the recommendation by @poocher to have drugs in original containers, should extent to ALL legal drugs, regardless if they are Rx or OTC. If they can rely on PDR to identify legal drugs, then it does not matter if they are Rx or OTC.
My point is to be consistent across all legal drugs.
If you believe that Rx drugs should be in their original container as @poocher wrote in order to indicate their legality, then it makes sense to have OTC drugs in their original containers as well.
If you believe that legal drugs, both OTC and Rx, can be readily identified as @Aquahound by the customs agents, then there is no difference between OTC and Rx, and both can be kept outside of their original containers.
Experience with Oceanwide Antarctica Cruises? Itinerary?
in Antarctica
Posted
Sorry, but a newbie question regarding Elephant Island: Why would you expect not to land on Elephant Island? It is because it is so exposed? It would be pretty impressive to visit where Sheckleton's crew was stranded.