"Southern Ocean" a Antarctica Travel Page by tiabunna

It's the only ocean to completely circle the world.

Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, where the pole is in a landlocked sea, in the Southern Hemisphere the pole is on land surrounded by ocean.

And what an ocean! Unimpeded by any major landmasses between about 45 degrees and the Antarctic Circle (apart from the Antarctic Peninsula and the tip of South America), huge weather and wave systems circle the globe. As a tourist headed for the Antarctic, you're faced with crossing it.......

The names for different latitudes say it all. As you head south, you pass through the "Roaring Forties", which are followed by the "Furious Fifties", then you reach the "Screaming Sixties". No wonder the sailing ships (and modern yachting adventurers) were able to make faster times by heading further south!

In the worst storms, peak wave heights have been measured at over 25 metres. But for those very large waves to develop, storms need to be both intense and long-lasting. They are, thankfully, more the exception than the rule.

On our recent trip, the peak wave height was estimated at no more than six to eight metres. That is likely to be typical for most tourist ships, as the worst weather is typically in the winter months.

The Antarctic Convergence is the boundary where colder Antarctic surface waters meet and sink below the warmer waters to the north. In a fairly short distance the temperature of the surface water varies by several degrees. This, in effect, defines the limit of the Antarctic.

The Convergence remains in a reasonably constant position, between the latitudes of 49 and 55 degrees south. As a result, some sub-Antarctic islands are below the Convergence (eg Heard Island, South Georgia) while others (eg Macquarie Island, Campbell Island) at much the same latitude, are north of it and have much milder climates.

In general, more wildlife is to be found below the Convergence, where the colder waters carry more nutrients.

The answer to that probably depends on whether you are seasick! If you are, crossing it must feel interminable. But provided you have adequate sea legs, the ocean is a constant source of interest.

Here, in what seems at first to be a vast emptiness of water, it is surprising how many seabirds are waiting to be spotted by keen-eyed bird watchers, or photographers. Albatrosses follow the weather patterns. Petrels, prions, shearwaters of various kinds, often quite small, also are present in surprising numbers.

Cruise operators also are aware of the need to provide interest during the ocean crossing. You can expect a steady programme of interesting and informative lectures and photo showings.

Have a good book (or some hobby project) handy.