Would you go anywhere else than this kayaking?
I am not good at kayaking, have done this few times, but nothing like in this environment or scenery around.
Our expedition offered kayaking during Antarctic voyage, I wanted to do it and ask Sarmin to join me. She was scared a bit, water isn’t something excites her, she can’t swim either. Take her to Caribbean, she would be sitting under beach umbrella not stepping into water all day, that’s her.
Onboard SilverSea, it takes a mandatory training and sign a waiver with associated risks during kayaking. We both did it, but at the end she asked me to go without her for the first time and see how it feels before we both can do it together.
How it felt?
It was awesome, nothing like it.
Expedition team asked for pre kayaking experience, basic paddling skills, and swimming. This activity isn’t about racing, just enjoy the moment and capture experience rowing through countless floating icebergs, mysterious landscape around, and of course up-close wildlife like penguins and seals in their natural habitat. Whales didn’t popup, I wish we had one. Seriously, if you think of falling off the kayak in this freezing water, it really doesn’t matter if you are a pro swimmer or rookie to begin with. No swimming lesson would save you here, except floating with lifejacket. SilverSea usually takes ten kayaks, two instructors and few zodiacs cruising around for safety and return to vessel.
Bottom line, it was safe and easy to do. Each kayak teamed up with two . Since Sarmin didn’t join, SilverSea allowed onboard crew member with me, and it was his first experience. Kayaks were fitted with rudders on the back, and my partner sitting behind struggled a little controlling it, we ended up rowing one and half times than the group, drifted away few times from the group, but it was worth the experience.
This memory here would go a long way with me, thinking I was there, knowing I had a dream for which I can close my eyes and not wake up from it. Someday, I may give Sarmin a sleeping pill, tight her up on a kayak and just keep rowing. She missed it, she missed it big time, but she was happy and glad I did it.
When we were in the Dead Sea Jordan, and you know you can float there effortless. She didn’t want to get into that water first, I almost forced her, then she realized she really can’t drown herself. It was amazing.
But this time here in Antarctica, it was different. To be honest, I was scared as well to take her with me, and just pretended I am not that guy like to push people around.
Solitude | Loneliness | Isolation is the key to this world. It’s another world sitting at the bottom of our own home planet. Extreme at its most, harsh at its worse. If we, human ever settle to live here, it wouldn’t be us. It will be someone like us with more strength of a seal or penguin.
Kayaking Location: Orne Harbor, Antarctic Peninsula (December 27th, 2021)
Expedition: SilverSea Silver Cloud
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