Day 5 of Antarctic cruise – February 5, 2025

On the Odyssey, we spent over a month island-hopping through the Caribbean, with its warm and welcoming 70-80°F waters. But with my fear of being underwater, even that wasn’t enough to entice me to do more than occasionally stick my toes in the water.

But when I heard about the Polar Plunge—where passengers jump from the ship into frigid Antarctic waters—my immediate reaction was, of course I must do it. Go figure!?

The record temperature for Antarctic waters is about minus 89°C (-128°F). Fortunately for us, we weren’t setting any records on this day. The water was a balmy 1°C (33°F). 97 of us lunatics (out of 160) took part in this time-honored tradition, jumping from the gangway steps into the Antarctic waters. Being tethered to a long rope was a requirement (“because we are not allowed to leave anything behind in the waters”, they said). A life vest is optional; I asked for two, but was reassured that would not be necessary. The boldest amongst us did backward flips into the water. Some even swam a few feet to a nearby zodiac.

And then there was me. There was no way I was jumping into any body of water, regardless of its temperature, but I figured I could at least immerse my body as far as I could stand it. Holding on to the rail for dear life, I got in almost to my chest before scrambling back up the ladder.

It might be a stretch to call it a polar plunge, so I’m calling it a polar dip instead. Or maybe, polar plunge petite? In any case, it should count, don’t you think?

Thanks to Wendy for the video, and Silja for the still shots.

How the pros did it: