00:00In the summer between 2022 and 2023, over 100,000 people visited Antarctica.
00:12Yep, we're talking about the highest, driest, windiest, and probably the most dangerous
00:19continent on Earth.
00:21But apparently, people like going there for fun, and the number of tourists just keeps
00:25growing.
00:27Most visitors get there on cruise ships, stopping at the temperate, accessible, and wildlife-rich
00:33Antarctic Peninsula.
00:35They usually disembark in Feldes Bay, where they can take inflatable boats for up-close
00:39views of icebergs, humpback whales, penguins, and orcas.
00:44You can also go kayaking, or even check out the wild white landscape by helicopter.
00:53For those feeling a bit more adventurous, there is a different kind of tourist activity
00:58really taking off out there – skydiving.
01:01But be warned, you probably shouldn't try it for your own sake.
01:05For those with a strong heart, free-falling into the majesty of the 7th continent is a
01:10genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience.
01:13But only a few people will ever get the chance to jump there.
01:16Even the companies offering this experience say it is only for really, really experienced
01:21skydivers.
01:22And that's because, even for pros, what should be an amazing adventure can easily
01:27turn tragic.
01:34Just like what happened to a group of six men in December of 1997.
01:38In just 30 seconds, what was supposed to be a thrilling jump turned into a fight for survival.
01:45The group consisted of three Americans, two Norwegians, and one Austrian, all of them
01:50very experienced skydivers.
01:52One of them was a former Air Force captain with about 750 jumps under his belt.
01:57For these guys, skydiving in Antarctica probably felt like just another relaxing hobby, or
02:03maybe even a chance to experience the ultimate taste of freedom.
02:08The first part of their journey went well.
02:10They had to wait four days in Chile for the weather to clear at Patriot Hills, the base
02:14camp located in Antarctica.
02:17So they just hung out at the hotel, waiting for the big day.
02:21The Americans and the Austrian skydiver hoped to set some kind of record.
02:25Since they weren't the first people to jump over the South Pole, they decided to try something
02:30different.
02:31One of them suggested that, instead of each jumping solo, they should try to do some relative
02:36work, as it's called, doing a four-way formation in the sky.
02:40You know when people jump and hold each other's arms and legs?
02:43Well, everyone agreed.
02:45If everything went according to plan, they'd set a world record.
02:48Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
02:55On December 3, they finally flew to Antarctica and stayed at Patriot Hills Camp, where brightly
03:01colored tents were nestled against the Ellsworth Mountains.
03:04It was summer there, so it wasn't as freezing as you might think.
03:07We're talking about temperatures around 14 degrees Fahrenheit.
03:12For a group that didn't know each other well, they quickly bonded like close friends.
03:17After all, they were having the time of their lives, and they were all really passionate
03:21about skydiving.
03:23While waiting for their flight, they sitted up and checked each other's equipment at
03:27least four times.
03:29Then it was time.
03:30They boarded the airplane, and as they climbed to 8,000 feet above the pole, some of them
03:36needed oxygen.
03:37Normally, skydivers don't need oxygen at that height, but this is Antarctica we're
03:42talking about.
03:43The land itself is already over 9,000 feet above sea level.
03:48So at this point, they were actually more than 17,000 feet, where the air is thin.
03:53They risk running low on oxygen, which can mess with your thinking, vision, and reaction
03:58time.
03:59Thin air also creates another problem – less resistance.
04:03You fall faster and have less time to maneuver.
04:06But now, up in the sky, they were probably too excited to fully realize the dangers of
04:11skydiving in Antarctica.
04:13There was no turning back.
04:15At the exit point, they all jumped out, falling through the thin, freezing air at an estimated
04:21200 mph.
04:23During freefall, they might've faced temperatures as low as minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
04:31They were close to breaking a record by forming a shape in the sky, linking their hands and
04:35feet.
04:36But something was off.
04:38One of the Americans, Michael Kearns, felt disoriented because he had no point of reference.
04:43Unlike jumping over a city where you can see trees or buildings to know what's up and
04:47down, Antarctica is completely different.
04:50It's just emptiness for thousands of miles.
04:54The sunlight, snow, and ice all blend together.
04:57Everything looks white.
04:59Pure white.
05:01Kearns quickly checked his gear and realized he was already too low – probably only about
05:061,000 feet up.
05:07That's dangerously low to still have the parachute unopened.
05:11The record attempt was out the window.
05:13Now it was a fight for survival.
05:18He broke away from the formation with his colleagues and reached for the ripcord on
05:21his reserve chute.
05:23But an automatic opening device had already deployed his parachute – likely around 600
05:28feet.
05:29With no time for a safe, controlled landing, he pulled his legs and knees in, flipped over,
05:34and crashed face-first into the snow.
05:38Silence.
05:40Kearns looked around for his friends.
05:43The two Norwegians managed to land safely.
05:45But sadly, the other three men didn't survive the fall.
05:49Two of them never even deployed their parachutes.
05:53To this day, no one knows exactly what went wrong.
05:57But the oxygen bottle on board the plane might be a clue.
06:01The three skydivers who used oxygen during the flight survived, while the three who didn't
06:06use it didn't make it.
06:08As mentioned earlier, a lack of oxygen can mess with your brain.
06:11You might feel euphoric and happy, but hypoxia is dangerous because you often don't realize
06:17it until it's too late.
06:20During the freefall, Kearns tried to warn his colleagues that something was wrong.
06:24They tried waving, but they just looked back at him, smiling, and kept going.
06:29It was like dancing on the deck of the Titanic instead of getting into a lifeboat.
06:34They probably thought they still had more time.
06:37Were they overwhelmed by the adrenaline rush?
06:40Or maybe they were just feeling the effects of hypoxia?
06:44These are questions we will never be able to answer with certainty, but the lack of
06:48oxygen likely made them lose track of their altitude.
06:52The extreme cold didn't help either, as extreme weather conditions can also affect decision-making.
06:58At their jump altitude, the temperature was around minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and the
07:03windchill from their speed could've made it feel as cold as minus 200 degrees.
07:14Despite this being a sad story, not all adventure stories in Antarctica end in tragedy.
07:20In 2018, Heather Swan became the first woman to fly in a wingsuit over the icy mountains
07:26of Antarctica.
07:28With her husband by her side, they braved the freezing cold and mustered up all their
07:32courage before jumping from 12,000 feet.
07:35They soared above Union Glacier, a campsite located in Ellsworth Land, reaching insane
07:41speeds of 112 miles per hour.
07:44But once again, we have to say, only very experienced pros can pull off something like
07:49this.
07:50In Swan's case, it took her 18 years of training to be ready to wingsuit in Antarctica.
07:57If you've made it this far, you're probably convinced that skydiving in Antarctica might
08:02not be the best idea.
08:04But what about just visiting as a tourist?
08:06Well, that's a hot topic.
08:09People who've been there say the experience is indescribable.
08:12According to some of them, there's something really healing about being in such a remote
08:16place.
08:17It feels like being in outer space, but still on Earth.
08:21At the same time, the same people who went there are now the ones wanting to protect
08:26it from visitors.
08:28Some of them suggest we enjoy Antarctica from afar because a large number of tourists could
08:33impact its fragile ecosystem.
08:35In 2023, the sea ice cover dropped for 6 months straight.
08:40So experts say visiting Antarctica probably shouldn't be on your bucket list.
08:45Actually, it probably shouldn't be on anyone's bucket list.
