You have to see this! 40 foot waves crash into cruise ship making its way through the Drake Passage
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ROUGH SEAS — Footage recently went viral of a cruise ship being tossed around by massive waves leaving passengers stumbling and sliding across the ship’s floors.
Lesley Anne Murphy, a travel journalist, shared a compilation of video clips to her Instagram on March 26, 2025. The clips show the cruise ship she was on, Quark Expeditions’ Ocean Explorer ship, traveling through the Drake Passage.
The Drake Passage is one of the world’s most treacherous waterways where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern oceans all collide above Antarctica, according to The Weather Channel.
“The result? Wild weather and ferocious swells, also known as the Drake Shake,” The Weather Channel stated.
The viral videos filmed by Murphy show waves up to 40 feet crashing against the cruise ship. Some people are seen trying to run in the hallways, but they stumble into the walls as the boat violently rocks. Other people are bracing themselves while trying to record the heart-pounding experience of the waves hitting the boat’s huge glass windows.
Another video clip shows one lady sliding across the ship’s floor and a TV. on a wall mount swinging around.
“The best way I can describe it is being on a rollercoaster for 48 hours straight,” Murphy said. “To some people that’s exhilarating and for others, I think it could be just kind of hell on earth.”
She told USA TODAY, “I’m a thrill seeker, so I really enjoyed – I sat there for a really long time just with my phone out, filming what was happening right in front of us, so, I found it exhilarating.”
The ship reportedly made it to its destination safely.
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