Drake Passage seasickness: how bad is it, and what helps?

If you sail across the Drake Passage, plan as if you will get seasick, because the odds of a calm crossing are low: in our analysis of 16 years of ERA5 wave data, only about 6% of November to March crossings stayed at moderate seas or calmer the whole way, and each crossing from Ushuaia takes roughly 40 to 47 hours.¹ The CDC says motion sickness medicine is most effective taken before exposure, and for long exposure to moderate or intense motion it lists the scopolamine patch.² This page sets out what the CDC, the NHS, the US National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus and other health sources say about the medicines and the habits that help, then what the ship, the cabin and a flight over the Drake can change. It is a summary of those sources, not medical advice: the NHS says a pharmacist will be able to recommend the best treatment for you, and each MedlinePlus drug page lists conditions to tell your doctor about before you take the medicine.⁸⁴⁵⁶

How likely are you to get seasick on the Drake Passage?

Likely enough to prepare for, though nobody can tell in advance how one person will react. In our model of 2,419 two-day crossings from November to March, the worst sea met was rough on 39%, very rough on 43% and 20 ft (6 m) or more on 12%.¹ Operators describe the human side more gently. Aurora Expeditions says that in its experience a small percentage of people are seasick on any trip, that most of them are fine after a day or so at sea, and that anyone who feels particularly susceptible should talk to their doctor.¹² Quark Expeditions asks every guest to consult their personal physician and carry recommended preventive medication, while reminding them that not all Drake crossings are rough.¹³ No operator we checked publishes a seasickness rate, and we found no study that measures one for the Drake.

Seasickness is motion sickness at sea. The NHS lists its symptoms as dizziness, feeling sick (nausea), being sick, headache, feeling cold and going pale, and sweating.⁸¹⁰

The month you cross changes the odds of big seas. January crossings met 20 ft (6 m) seas 4% of the time in the model, against 18% in March and 27% in October; December had the most crossings that stayed moderate or calmer, at 12%.¹ The full month-by-month wave table is on our Drake Passage page, and when to visit Antarctica covers what else the month changes.

Who is most likely to get seasick?

Children, above all between 7 and 12, and people with a history of migraine, vertigo or vestibular disorders, according to the CDC. Its travel health chapter says children under 2 do not usually get motion sickness, that susceptibility then rises and peaks between 7 and 12, that women are more susceptible than men but by a much smaller margin than age makes, and that heritability accounts for 55% to 70% of the variation between people.³ Kaiser Permanente's patient guide names children from 2 to 12, women and older adults as the people who get motion sickness more than others.¹⁰

Children need extra care with medicine. The CDC says anti-motion-sickness medicine for children should be used with caution, that over-sedating young children with antihistamines can be life-threatening and that scopolamine, including patches, should be avoided in children; it encourages parents to try a test dose before departure.³² The FDA adds that the scopolamine patch is not approved for children and that parents should discuss the benefits and risks with their health care professional.⁷

The CDC also names three things you can control: being sleep-deprived can worsen motion sickness, and alcohol and smoking should be avoided because they increase it.³ That is worth planning around, because some voyages start with a short night. HX says its charter from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia leaves around 7 to 8 AM, with a wake-up time of about 4 AM.¹⁵

How long does seasickness last on the Drake?

Usually until the motion stops, and the open-water crossing lasts about two days each way. The Cleveland Clinic says most people's symptoms go away once they are off the boat, and Kaiser Permanente that symptoms usually go away soon after the motion stops.⁹¹⁰ Our measurement of the usual route from Ushuaia, down the Beagle Channel and past Cape Horn to the South Shetland Islands, is about 565 nautical miles (650 miles, 1,046 km): 40 hours at 14 knots, 47 hours at 12.¹ On Quark's 11-day Antarctic Explorer, for example, days 3 and 4 are the southbound crossing and days 9 and 10 the return.¹⁴

The CDC rates habituation (desensitization) as the most effective countermeasure, more effective than any medication, but says it can be slow to acquire and may need periodic re-exposure to keep working.²³

Feeling the floor rock after you get off the ship is normal. The CDC says this passing sensation rarely involves nausea and resolves in a few hours or less; in rare cases where it persists (mal de debarquement), it says the traveler should be referred to a medical specialist in vestibular disorders.³

Which seasickness medicine is best for the Drake Passage?

For a long, rough crossing the CDC's choice is a scopolamine patch: for motion lasting more than six hours, it lists the patch for moderate to intense motion and meclizine or dimenhydrinate for milder motion.² Which one suits you is a question for your doctor. The CDC advises clinicians to consider recommending a trial dose of one or more medicines before departure, because side effects differ among travelers, so ask your doctor about one.³² The table sets out what the sources say about each medicine; the CDC's onset and duration figures are for the adult doses in its table.

Rules differ by country: the CDC notes that some formulations are over the counter in some countries and prescription-only in others.³²

One line on each MedlinePlus page matters for older travelers: adults 65 and older "should not usually" take meclizine or dimenhydrinate or use scopolamine, because they are not as safe or effective as other medicines for the same condition, and MedlinePlus asks people in that age group to talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits.⁴⁵⁶ All three pages list drowsiness as a side effect, and the scopolamine and dimenhydrinate pages say not to drive or operate machinery until you know how the medicine affects you.⁴⁵⁶

The CDC says some familiar drugs are not effective for motion sickness: the minimally sedating antihistamines cetirizine, fexofenadine and loratadine, and the anti-nausea drugs ondansetron and granisetron.³² Aurora's medication list for its voyages names promethazine, hyoscine (Kwells, Travelcalm and scopolamine patches), meclizine, cinnarizine and dimenhydrinate.¹¹

Is the scopolamine patch safe?

It is a prescription medicine the FDA approved for adults in 1979, but in June 2025 the FDA added a warning that the patch can increase body temperature and cause heat-related complications, resulting in hospitalization or even death in some cases.⁷ The FDA had identified 13 cases worldwide, 7 of them in the US, through August 16, 2024. Most were in children 17 and younger or adults 60 and older, and the problem occurred most often within 72 hours of applying a patch for the first time.⁷ The FDA also says the patch is not approved for long-term use, and MedlinePlus says to talk to your doctor about the risk of hyperthermia before starting it.⁷⁴

The FDA's advice to patients: remove the patch and contact your health care professional if your body temperature increases or you are not sweating in warm temperatures, be aware that symptoms can continue after removal, and avoid external heat sources such as heated blankets. It also says to wear only one patch at a time and never cut it.⁷ MedlinePlus adds a point that matters on a long voyage: after several days or longer of use, withdrawal symptoms such as difficulty with balance, dizziness, nausea and vomiting can start 24 hours or more after you remove the patch; it says to call your doctor right away if they become severe.⁴ Before using a patch, MedlinePlus says to tell your doctor about conditions including glaucoma, seizures and difficulty urinating.⁴

When should you start seasickness medicine?

Before you feel anything. The CDC says medicine is most effective taken before exposure rather than after symptoms begin, that tablets should be taken in time to allow absorption, and that once the first symptoms start, gastric stasis may prevent absorption.²³ Kaiser Permanente likewise says most of these medicines work best taken before you travel.¹⁰ Aurora's advice matches: take tablets early rather than waiting until you feel very unwell.¹¹

Work back from when the ship meets open water, and ask your doctor or pharmacist how far ahead to start; the NHS says a pharmacist can recommend the best treatment for you.⁸ The CDC's table gives the onset for its adult doses: 6 to 8 hours for the patch and 2 hours for meclizine and dimenhydrinate tablets.² Ships from Ushuaia run down the Beagle Channel and past Cape Horn before the open Drake.¹

Once symptoms have begun, tablets may not be absorbed. For severe acute motion sickness, the CDC says medicine may need to be given by a route other than the mouth and an intramuscular injection should be considered; it calls patches and suppositories suboptimal because they absorb more slowly.³ An injection means a visit to the ship's doctor. Aurora, Quark, Polar Latitudes, Ponant, Poseidon Expeditions, Swan Hellenic and Intrepid Travel all say their ships carry one (Ponant's sailboat Le Ponant has a nurse and a telemedicine service instead).^{11131621192018} Aurora's first consultation is free and Polar Latitudes generally does not charge for consultations, while Ponant charges for consultations and medicines.¹¹¹⁶²¹ Polar Latitudes' clinics stock seasickness medication, Oceanwide Expeditions sells it on board, and HX sells tablets for €1 each, though HX advises bringing your preferred tablets and consulting your doctor.¹⁶¹⁷¹⁵

Do wristbands, ginger and breathing exercises help?

Not much, on the evidence the CDC cites. Lab trials found acupressure bands no more effective than a placebo, evidence for ginger and other supplements is weak and contradictory, and controlled breathing worked about half as well as anti-motion-sickness drugs.²³ The NHS still suggests ginger and slow, focused breathing, and lists acupressure bands among pharmacy remedies while noting they "do not work for everyone"; Kaiser Permanente says there isn't much evidence that ginger capsules or wristbands help, but it is safe to try them.⁸¹⁰ Aurora's verdict, from its own passengers and staff, is that ginger tablets, pressure points and bands are not effective on their own, particularly in very rough seas, so it asks guests to bring medication as a backup.¹¹

The habits the health sources and operators suggest are simple:

• Look at the horizon or another fixed point, and get fresh air.⁸¹⁰¹¹
• When standing, align your posture with the ship's motion, which the CDC says is sometimes called getting "sea legs".²
• Avoid reading, films and screens, especially once you feel unwell.⁸¹¹²⁰
• Skip alcohol, heavy meals and spicy or greasy food shortly before and during the crossing.^8101820
• Eat small amounts regularly and keep drinking water.¹¹
• If it gets bad, lie down with your eyes closed and keep dry crackers and water by the bed.¹¹¹⁰

Which cabin is best for seasickness?

A cabin near the middle of the ship and low down, close to the waterline, is what Kaiser Permanente and the Cleveland Clinic recommend.¹⁰⁹ The Cleveland Clinic also allows a cabin toward the front, but the CDC says to avoid locations of maximum motion, such as the bow, and the NHS says to sit in the middle of a boat.⁹²⁸ There is a trade-off: the CDC says a view of the horizon gives some protection on ships but is often not possible below deck, so if your cabin is low, look for the horizon from a window or the deck when you can, as the NHS, Kaiser Permanente and Aurora suggest.²⁸¹⁰¹¹ If you are weighing a balcony cabin for other reasons, see our balcony guide.

Do ship stabilizers prevent seasickness?

Not on any evidence we found: stabilizers reduce rolling, by the operators' and builders' own account, but none of the health sources we read mentions them. Ponant says all its ships except Le Ponant and the Spirit of Ponant have stabilizers with dynamic fins that compensate for pitch and roll, and that guests expecting seasickness "experience reduced symptoms".²¹ Antarctica21 says the retractable fin stabilizers on its new Magellan Discoverer reduce rolling in rough seas.²² Swan Hellenic cites "extra-large stabilizers", and a 2025 trade report says G Adventures' current Expedition, the former Ocean Adventurer, has Sperry Gyrofin stabilizers.²⁰²³ Ulstein, the designer of the X-BOW inverted bow on ships such as Aurora's Sylvia Earle, says the shape reduces pitching and slamming.²⁴²⁹

Which ships have which systems, and whether a bigger ship rides better, are covered in best expedition ships and small vs large expedition ships. The health sources' advice is about when you take medicine, where you sit and what you eat and drink.

Should you fly over the Drake instead?

If seasickness is your main worry, flying both ways skips the crossing, and Lindblad Expeditions says its fly-the-Drake trips may suit guests prone to seasickness.²⁵ The flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island takes about two hours, according to Antarctica21, which also gives up to 2.5 hours.²⁶ Flights depend on the weather at the landing strip, and a long delay can still put you on the sea: Lindblad says that if poor weather prevents flights for more than two days, the ship may need to sail to port.²⁵ Fly or sail the Drake Passage covers the delays, refund rules and a full price comparison.

Fares are in US dollars as listed on October 14, 2026 (Lindblad) and October 15, 2026 (Oceanwide and Antarctica21).³¹²⁷²⁸ The one-way option halves your time at sea on the Drake, but check the direction: Antarctica21's November 17, 2026 Express sails south from Ushuaia and flies back north, so you cross the Drake at the start, while its March 4, 2027 Express flies south and sails back to Ushuaia.²⁸

What should you do if you are prone to seasickness?

On the sources above, these are the steps to take. Book a December or January crossing, when 20 ft (6 m) seas are least common.¹ Ask your doctor before the trip which medicine suits you and about a trial dose, especially if you are 65 or older, have glaucoma or are traveling with children.⁴²³² Start it before the ship reaches open water, sleep well, and avoid alcohol and smoking.²³ Choose a cabin low and near the middle of the ship.¹⁰⁹ And if no medicine has ever worked for you, price a fly-cruise.²⁵