It was time to face my fears and challenge myself in a way
I never had – jumping into the frigid waters off the coast of Greenland.
On June 26, during the Seabourn Venture’s President’s
Cruise to Greenland and Iceland, the ship’s captain found a calm spot suitable
for the Polar Plunge. When word came over the PA system, I decided to do it. There
was no advance notice, which probably was a good thing, because if I had more
time to think about, I might’ve backed out.
The ship’s expedition staff lashed a Zodiac motorized raft
up against the ship. Passengers braving the cold wore swimsuits and one by one,
boarded the Zodiac wearing a belt attached to a rope, which was held by an
expedition crew member. As they jumped in, they were immediately pulled by the
rope up against the ladder to the Zodiac, so they could quickly escape the
chilly water, towel off and warm up in a cozy Seabourn bathrobe.
As I descended to the ship’s Zodiac embarkation door, I was
seriously reconsidering my decision to plunge. But then I encountered several other
members of my press group, including Seabourn President Natalya Leahy, onboard
for her first President’s Cruise. They had already jumped in and their excited
chattering, and the fact that they didn’t even appear cold, convinced me to go
ahead. The vodka shot handed to me didn’t hurt either!
As I stepped onto the Zodiac rubber pontoon, I was too
scared to jump in from a standing position, so I sat down instead and slid into
the water – the temperature was 32.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, it was quite a
shock hitting that cold water, but I popped up immediately and the rope guided
me right to the ladder. I did it!
I joined the others jubilantly celebrating after the plunge,
and even gave Leahy a hug as she too had already jumped. Seriously, in about
one minute, I didn’t even feel cold anymore. Instead, it was an exhilarating
experience, a triumph of overcoming our fear.
Then I began to feel like I cheated because I didn’t jump in
from a standing position. So, I decided to do it again and jump straight in.
This time, I knew what to expect so it wasn’t as frightening. But I swear the
water was even colder this time – or perhaps it was my imagination.
Later it was announced that about 36 passengers had done
the Polar Plunge out of 142 guests. The icing on the cake was the “Polar Plunge
Certificate of Bravery” I found in my suite later that night, complete with a
photo of me going into the water. It’s a fitting memento of a memorable expedition
experience.
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