Durham, North Carolina One person has been killed and four injured after a massive wave hits a cruise ship in Antarctica.
A Durham couple, also passengers aboard Viking Polaris, share the story of a vacation that turned into a nightmare.
Suzie Gooding says the views are off the coast UshuaiaAs they travel towards Antarctica, Argentina is gorgeous – but the perfect getaway quickly turns into an unexpectedly frightening ordeal.
Gooding, who is still on the cruise ship, spoke with WRAL News on the phone, and described the wave’s massive impact, saying, “We wondered if we’d hit an iceberg. And there are no icebergs here, but that’s how it felt.”
A representative from the cruise company, Viking, confirmed that there had been a “vicious wave incident”.
The National Ocean Service describes these waves as “large, unpredictable, and dangerous.” Think of these forces of nature as “walls of water.” One of the steepest rogue waves ever recorded reached a height of 58 Feet – as The height of the building is 4 floors.
“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was sudden. Shocking,” Gooding said. “We didn’t know if we should get our equipment ready to abandon ship.”
Gooding Shared photos of what appear to show broken windows on the Viking Polaris side of the waves Effect.
A Vikings representative shared this statement regarding the death of a passenger and the injury of others:
“We have informed the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies. We will continue to extend our full support to the family in the hours and days Before…Our focus remains on the safety and well-being of our guests and crew, and we work directly with them to arrange your return trip. An amazing two week trip Views — cut short.”
The The good I hope to come back RDU airport on December 7.
The couple has already booked the same cruise on a different ship in March 2023.
“Infuriatingly humble analyst. Bacon maven. Proud food specialist. Certified reader. Avid writer. Zombie advocate. Incurable problem solver.”