Why Don’t Ships Pass Through the Drake Passage?

of ships Didn’t go through the Bermuda Triangle We all know it more or less, right? But what no one knows is that the Drake Passage is just as dangerous.

Okay, but a passage. so dangerous What exactly does it do? Let’s examine it together.

Discovered in 1525, the Drake Passage connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, with the Southern Ocean located just below it.

This passage is 514 kilometers wide and on average to a depth of 3,398 meters has. So if you drop something in water, it’s almost impossible to get it back.

The Drake Passage is located at the intersection of three major oceans and because it is a narrow atmospheric cyclones is exposed.

Strong winds from the Southern Ocean can affect all parts of the world because they are not blocked by land. These strong winds It can reach a height of 28 meters causes giant waves to form.

Until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, many sea routes were dependent solely on the Drake Passage.

Therefore, hundreds of ships had to pass through the world’s most dangerous sea route. Until today 800 ships sank in the Drake Passage and it is said that hundreds of people lost their lives.

Last time in 2022 Cruise ship Viking Polaris It was hit by a heavy wave, killing one passenger and injuring eight people.

The waters of the Drake Passage are so rough that ship passengers have to eat from plates secured with sticky mats.

Of course, the Drake Passage isn’t entirely bad for our planet. This famous sea route provides cooling power for Antarctica. Because it is not connected to South America by a land bridge, air from the north does not flow south easily and Antarctica remains cold It helps.

If the Drake Passage did not separate Antarctica from South America, the ice pack around Antarctica could melt, resulting in rising sea levels could have caused it.

To better understand the violent waves in the gorge, you can check out the video below:

By the way, let’s not forget that it is the point where videos such as “10 scary facts about the seas” that we see on social media are shot. Hoise The Colours It echoed in your ears, didn’t it? 🙂

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