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Terrifying moment cruise ship slams into huge 40ft waves & passengers are thrown to floor in infamous Drake Passage

Published on April 02, 2025 at 06:44 PM

THIS is the jaw-dropping moment undaunted passengers are thrown around a cruise ship amid colossal waves.

Heart-stopping footage showed the cruise ship face up to 40ft waves as it took on the treacherous voyage through the infamous Drake Passage.

Passenger on a cruise ship looking out at large waves through a window.
Nearly 40ft waves struck a cruise ship traversing through an infamous passage
Passengers on a cruise ship taking photos of large waves through the ship's windows.
One passenger appeared to pretend the floor was a massive surfboard
Passengers thrown to the floor of a cruise ship lounge during rough seas.
Passengers were thrown around the liner

Graphic of the Drake Passage, showing its location between South America and Antarctica, and a photo of a ship encountering large waves in the passage.

Captured by travel vlogger Lesley Ann Murphey, the footage showed the Quark Expeditions' Ocean Explorer ship being struck by massive piles of water as passengers struggled to stand straight.

The notorious passage between South America's bottom tip, which includes and Chile, and the Shetland Islands of Antarctica, is known for being an extremely hazardous journey.

The influencer estimated some of the waves were up to 40ft tall.

Her videos showed the waves smashing over the tall panelled windows of the cruise ship.

Several passengers can be seen moving from side to side as the boat swayed in the rocky currents.

A TV was also filmed violently off of the wall as the liner was shaken about.

One man was also seen attempting to balance on the floor of the cruise ship as if it were a massive surfboard.

And other passengers were seen jogging down a tilted corridor on board the vessel as some of them were even thrown against the wall.

The interior of the ship appeared to properly withstand the awe-inspiring waves.

No one was reported injured while on board the vessel.

Murphy said in the post uploaded to that the trip was like a “48-hour rollercoaster”.

She said: “I am proud to say we survived not one but two Drake Shakes!”

Cruise ship cabin with large window showing rough seas.
Footage taken from inside a cabin of the ship
Passengers hurrying down a cruise ship hallway during rough seas.
Passengers were thrown against the walls

And she explained the dangerous experience to her followers.

The Instagram vlogger said: “For context, the Drake Passage is the body of water between the tip of Argentina and Antarctica.

“It’s infamous for its extremely rough seas.

“If you’re lucky, you get the Drake Lake. If you’re like us, you get the Drake Shake with 35 ft waves.

“Yes, we were safe and it was insane...and at times, even fun? 1000% worth it for this trip of a lifetime!

She added that the exciting yet intense experience was safe, and that crew advised people to stay inside cabins for the afternoon.

She explained: “We were told to stay in our cabins for an entire afternoon yesterday, and there were definitely some silver linings amongst this whole ordeal...we got some down time, we laughed a lot, I processed some of this amazing voyage, I FaceTimed my girls and I learned that wildly enough...I don’t get seasick!”

The travel influencer posted the footage last Thursday to her nearly 400,000 followers.

Ocean view from a cruise ship's interior.
No injuries were reported and the ship arrived at its destination
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