Crossing the Antarctic Circle & Sailing Through The Gullet

The day we crossed the Antarctic Circle and sailed through the Gullet was hands-down the best day I had in Antarctica. 

The whole reason I chose this particular trip with this particular operator (Oceanwide Expeditions) was because they aimed to cross the Antarctic Circle. I had travelled into the Arctic Circle when visiting Finland in 2015, so when I was researching the trip and realised I could cross the Antarctic one too, my mind was made up.

On the original itinerary, we weren’t meant to attempt to head as far south as the Circle until later on in the trip, but the crew had seen weather warnings for a storm approaching, which might have prevented us from crossing the line at all. This was the last trip of the season and it sounded like the Expedition Leader had a little more freedom to decide the route because of this. So we headed south earlier than intended.

As we neared the Circle, we all headed up onto the upper deck. Cocktails were handed round and a countdown started as we neared the invisible line. A curve of floating ice spread across the nearby waters, making it look as though there really was a circle of sorts to cross. As we hit 66.5°S the ship’s horn sounded, people cheered, glasses clinked and it almost felt like New Year’s Eve.

The Expedition Leader had explained the previous day that another little detour was being planned. A channel called the Gullet lay just further south of the Antarctic Circle, running between Adelaide Island and the mainland – and we were going to try and sail through it. He explained that there were two paths through the Gullet: a wide path and a narrow one. Both were usually heavily blocked by ice during the travelling season. He said that he had been trying to take a ship through it for the past 6 years, but without having an ice-breaker ship, it would be impossible. By a stroke of luck, the narrow path through the Gullet lay clear before us, so we were going to attempt a passage through it.

It was the most beautiful area I had ever seen – and I think it will be nigh on impossible to ever beat. The sea was like glass; every reflection perfection. The icebergs glowed in bright blues above the surface and in shimmering greens as they disappeared into the depths. Crabeater and Weddel seals slept on the floating ice plates and slipped easily into the water as we passed. 

Everyone was on deck, astounded by what lay before us. Mountains towered over us on either side and huge geometric sheets of ice glided by. People barely spoke; a hush spread across the ship as we passed through the silent, still waters.

Every now and again, a crack or a grinding crunch would echo through the cold, crisp air as the vast amounts of snow shifted. The atmosphere was calm and serene; a place untouched and pure in its beauty.

Apparently, only a few hundred people have ever sailed through the Gullet. The number doesn’t matter to me. I will just be ever-thankful that I got to see such an incredible place at all.