Good day and welcome to Viking TV and Wanderlust Wednesday. My name is Aaron Lawton and I'm the expedition operations manager for Viking. I have visited Antarctica more than 120 times over the last 24 years. As I reflect on these experiences, I realize that Antarctica and more broadly expedition cruising has been a part of my work for more than half my life. I live in Squamish, BC and have been with Viking for the last two years as part of Viking Expedition's launch team, preparing for the inaugural season in Antarctica for their first voyage starting this coming weekend. This is a special week for Viking Expeditions as we're all looking forward to welcoming the very first guests on board Viking Octantis this Sunday, who will be departing from Ushuaia on the Antarctic Explorer voyage. Some members of the Viking team have been on board the ship this week making sure that everything is ready to welcome guests. Very excited at how the ship's coming along. I'm going to hand it over to Karine to introduce and discuss our Antarctic Explorer itinerary, and I'll be available following Karine's presentation to answer any questions that you might have.
I'm happy to be here today to tell you more about one of our newest expedition itineraries. Viking has created ultimate itineraries for those of you who have dreamed of discovering truly remote destinations. Today we will focus on one of our signature expedition voyages that allows you to sail from the tip of South America to the lost continent of Antarctica, home to towering mountains, glacial plateaus, and colonies of penguins. Magnificent wildlife and dramatic, unexplored landscapes will unfold before you during landings and excursions, and as you relax in the comfort of your state-of-the-art stateroom. Here's a video on this 13-day journey. Follow in the tradition of the great polar explorers setting your sights on Antarctica with this fascinating 13-day itinerary. Your once-in-a-lifetime journey begins in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Then it's on to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. From here you'll sail past legendary Cape Horn and cross the fabled Drake Passage as you head for the bottom of the world. Antarctica. This is nature at its most flawless—an immense wild land of extremes and rugged beauty. A place so remote it eluded discovery until just two centuries ago. Norwegian Roald Amundsen, the first man to the South Pole, described this place as a wonderful fairy tale in blue and white. In this extraordinary setting you'll enjoy a week of enlightening, educational, and deeply enriching experiences, each one designed to help you better understand the intricate details of this fabled continent—a majestic ecosystem only a tiny fraction of the world's population will ever have the privilege to see. Your purpose-built Viking vessel is an ideal base from which to explore and learn—a floating classroom sharing the science behind the otherworldly environment you're exploring. The ships of Viking sail with a range of vessels designed to explore from the sea, making it easy to investigate these stunning landscapes.
As you travel these dramatic waters, your nature-based schedule will be optimized to take advantage of weather and most importantly wildlife viewing opportunities. You have a front row seat in nature's greatest theater when Antarctica's locals decide to put on their display. And of course, in the spirit of discovery, you'll spend significant time on the continent's unspoiled shores, examining the extreme geology with expedition leaders. An exploration of Antarctica with Viking is an illuminating, rewarding journey—a profound, thought-provoking immersion into this remarkable place. An unforgettable adventure where you are sure to be humbled by nature. Your expedition concludes in Ushuaia, Argentina, the world's southernmost city, where you'll board your flight for a return to Buenos Aires.
Antarctic Explorer is available in one direction, beginning in Buenos Aires, Argentina. You will then sail further south to Antarctica and disembark in Ushuaia, Argentina. This itinerary also includes three days of scenic sailing for a front row seat of some of the world's most beautiful scenery and time on board to relax in the spa or learn more about the history of explorers or flora or fauna of the region. If you'd like to arrive early, get oriented, and experience more of South America prior to your sailing, we have four pre-extensions including packages in Brazil and Argentina or in Chile and Argentina. You can choose from three nights Buenos Aires and the Parana Delta, or four nights Iguazu Falls, or four nights Easter Island, or five nights Atacama Desert. Let's look at the itinerary map for more on this journey. Your sailing begins with two days in Argentina, followed by seven days to explore Antarctica. Your voyage concludes in Ushuaia, Argentina.
A few words about the weather, when to travel, and what to pack. Currently this itinerary is offered in the winter months, November to February, which is actually the Antarctic summer, of course. At this time of year there is also almost 24 hours of daylight. Antarctica is the windiest continent on Earth, so please dress in layers. Given the nature of our expedition voyages, you'll want to pack quick-drying or waterproof clothing and accessories. If you're most interested in the wildlife, it's best to visit during the Antarctic summer when animals are very active. The Antarctic summer is high season for wildlife activity. The Gentoo penguins—the world's fastest diving bird—can dive at speeds greater than 20 miles an hour during their hunt for krill, squid, and fish. The Adélie penguins spend summers on the islands of Antarctica and the rest of the year on the continent, diving as far as 600 feet underwater in search of food. You may see other species including distinctively marked chinstraps, kings, and the less common emperors—largest of all the penguins. Plentiful fish, squid, krill, and plankton attract minke whales, humpbacks, and blue whales, while orca pods feast on seals. Among Antarctica's population are doe-eyed Weddell seals, fierce leopard seals, fur seals, and deep-diving elephant seals. Abundant food makes the Antarctic Peninsula a summer home for Antarctic terns, shags, various albatross, and petrels.
A few words about our new expedition ships. We've applied more than two decades of experience and expertise in river and ocean voyages to create the perfect expedition experience that will live up to our commitment to keep you exploring the world in comfort. Here's a quote from the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen that speaks to the intention and thought behind the design of our brand-new, state-of-the-art polar-class expedition ships, the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris. He said: "I may say that this is the greatest factor, the way in which the expedition is equipped, the way in which every difficulty is foreseen and precautions are taken for meeting or avoiding it. Victory awaits him who has everything in order." For expedition voyages, Viking is proud to introduce two new purpose-built ships optimally sized for expeditions—small enough to navigate remote areas, yet large enough to provide speed, superior handling, and stability in the roughest seas. Throughout the ships there's a focus on panoramic views. You'll be as close as possible to the most majestic scenery on Earth. Our vessels merge comfort and exploration in an unprecedented way. This optimized size also facilitates enhanced enrichment activities by carrying a fleet of Zodiacs, special operation boats, two-seater kayaks, and six-seater submarines, and providing outstanding venues for on-board lectures and learning. We further enhanced the expedition experience by providing a hangar—a Viking exclusive. This unique in-ship marina is sheltered from wind and waves. There are also easy launch access points; nine shell doors located around the ship enable launching from the most protected sections of the ship. And then there's the science lab—our on-board laboratory and citizen science programs which further enable discovery and immersion into your destination.
If you've traveled with Viking before, you know we have the most knowledgeable tour guides. Science is an important aspect of your experiences during your excursions with experiential activities and fieldwork. One example: take a Zodiac to land on Antarctica and encounter penguins. On our expedition itineraries, virtually all activities are included to ensure you maximize your discoveries. Activities include everything from special operation boat sailings and Zodiac landings to tranquil kayak outings and underwater submarine dives. Hike through magnificent landscapes and access remote areas, all led by an experienced team of experts skilled in operating in rugged and polar environments. Or try a unique experience with one of our exclusive, limited-capacity optional excursions. Viking has partnered with leading, globally recognized institutions to enrich your experience. Scientists from the University of Cambridge's Scott Polar Research Institute will undertake fieldwork on board our expedition ships. Ornithologists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a bird research facility, will regularly be on board, field-testing new observation methods and providing advice to guests. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—NOAA—is an American scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce that focuses on the conditions of the oceans, major waterways, and the atmosphere. Every journey will be accompanied by a team of at least 25 experts ranging from biologists, botanists, geologists, and glaciologists, to oceanographers and ornithologists, to polar experts and researchers. These scientists will work in our on-board laboratory and offer guests a unique opportunity to learn about and participate in ongoing research.
Now let's explore the Antarctic Explorer itinerary day by day. Day one: welcome to Buenos Aires, where your voyage begins. Some of you will join us after your pre-extension stay; others will arrive in South America today. If you've arranged air travel through Viking, we'll transfer you from the airport to your hotel. Time permitting, you may wish to explore Argentina's cosmopolitan capital. On day two, you'll travel by private charter plane to the very tip of South America—to Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. Board your Viking expedition ship and take time to get to know your ship and expedition team. Today you will travel further south and sail through the Drake Passage. This legendary route was named after its discoverer, Sir Francis Drake. This passage takes you into the Antarctic Convergence, where sea temperatures plunge to near freezing in just a few hours of sailing. Here in the Southern Ocean you may glimpse your first iceberg and possibly a humpback, or attend a lecture from your ship's Viking resident scientist. Welcome to Antarctica, where you'll have six days to soak up the majestic beauty of this isolated corner of the globe. Keep an eye out for whales in their natural habitat as well as seals, penguins, and petrels. Landscapes include colorful lichens and rocky beaches. Also be sure to take in the basalt cliffs—columns of volcanic rock that form a unique geometric pattern. During your expedition activities, we offer complementary use of our specialty outerwear and expedition equipment so you can fully experience your destination in comfort. One of your shore excursions today might include kayaking amongst glaciers or hiking a snow-covered beach. These intimate vessels allow you to experience your surroundings up close. Note the distinct crackling sound glacial ice makes as air bubbles trapped inside are released. Your ship will navigate back through the Drake Passage as you travel back to Argentina. After many days of exploring, this is the perfect time to relax with a treatment at the Nordic Spa. Next we'll sail the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. The cape was originally named Cape Horn by a 17th-century Dutch merchant and explorer Willem Schouten after the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands. To this day, rounding the cape is a milestone reserved for experienced sailors. On your comfortable Viking expedition ship, you'll join the ranks of other intrepid seafarers who've completed this legendary passage between the two oceans. Heading back to South America, your journey with Viking concludes in Ushuaia. After breakfast on board, many of you will disembark and proceed to the airport for your return flight home. Some of you will continue on with us to explore more with Viking. After your sailing, we have one fantastic post-extension package—that's five nights to explore both the Chilean and Argentinian side of Patagonia. Thank you for joining me today on Viking TV. This concludes our presentation. My colleagues will now be available live for any questions that you might have. Thank you for joining me today on Viking TV.
Well that was great, and thank you, Karine. I hope you're all as excited about the upcoming Antarctic voyages as I am. Heather, I think we might have some questions coming in.
Thank you, Aaron. Yes, we do. Excuse me. Our first question tonight is from Bill in Windsor, in Canada. He says: this cruise looks like a very exciting opportunity, but I notice on the itinerary map on the Viking website that there is no specific Antarctic location specified. Is this because the ship will decide on the best locations at the time?
That's a great question, Bill, and I hope you're digging out from the snow that fell this week in Ontario—it sounded quite heavy and very Antarctic, in fact. Your question about specifying landing sites in Antarctica: we belong to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, and as a member of that association, we work with our competitors—with all the other ships going to the Antarctic—to manage the flow of people and ships around the region. Part of that is a marketing protocol that all the companies agree to, reducing the specificity of their landing sites as they do their planning and marketing, so that we're not creating unrealistic expectations. We have a first-come, first-served sign-in system for landing sites, and we can always plan landing sites with the best of intentions, but it has to be there when we sign up for it. That's really why we sign up months in advance of the voyage for the landing sites, and then we retain the ability to change the plan based on local information we're hearing—what the ice is doing that year. This year, for example, the Lemaire Channel—the ice is still in the Lemaire Channel, and in 20 years, I can't recall mid-to-late January—I can only recall a few times in mid-January when we couldn't transit. So it's for all those reasons, but principally we made a decision to honor the request from IAATO that marketing is done in a way that doesn't specify the individual landing sites we're going to visit—more the region.
Thank you, Aaron. Our next question comes from Marcia in the United States, and she asks: do I get to stand on the seventh continent, or do you have to stay on board the ship?
That's a great question, Marcia, and we hope very much to give you the opportunity to stand on the continent. Of course, we view that any landing site in Antarctica—whether it's on an offshore island or on the continent—is a landing in Antarctica. But as part of our day's activities, we will plan landings, and some of them will be planned to be on what we'd consider physically the continent rather than an offshore island. So you should have that opportunity on each excursion day. Of course, this is wind and ice dependent, but that's our goal—that's the excitement of being there, and that's our goal on the trip.
Thank you, Aaron. Don in Fort Lauderdale asks: is South Georgia Island a landing site that's being considered?
Yes, South Georgia Island is a British dependency in the South Atlantic Ocean. It's considered part of Antarctica or part of the sub-Antarctic—one of the islands. It's a few hundred miles away from Antarctica—600 miles or so away from the Antarctic Peninsula where we're going. In the first couple of seasons, we are not intending to go to South Georgia, although it is something near and dear to many of us at Viking, and it's on the plans for the future. It isn't yet for the first couple of seasons, but it's a stunning place to visit.
Thank you, Aaron. Aram in Toronto, in Canada, asks: how deep will the submarines go? Will it go under the ice? And are they going to be used on the first trip?
That's a great question. How deep will the submarines go? Our submarines are rated to a depth of 300 meters below sea level, so that's the maximum depth they'll go. I would guess that dive depths will range in the vicinity of 50 to 150 meters maximum. That's just knowing the area we're traveling, the features that the submarine pilots are looking to view—that's in the range. The deeper the submarine is going, of course, the longer the dive is, and we want to try to get everyone through the program. Will they dive under the ice? We won't dive under fast ice—so fast shore-fast ice is sea ice or the sea surface that's frozen over the course of the winter, generally thaws and breaks up in this region we're traveling in, in the summer. So we wouldn't proceed under the shore-fast ice and dive. However, there might be bergy bits and bits of icebergs and bits of sea ice that will drift by our dive site. There's a lot of current moving—wherever you are in the ocean there's of course tides and currents. It's very visible in the Antarctic as icebergs flow past stationary objects like a ship at anchor, then you see that current. So we don't intentionally dive under sea ice or under fast ice, but there will be ice on the surface in the vicinity. And the last part of that question—I think was, will they be used on the first voyage? Yes, our intention is to, of course—it's weather dependent. In rough seas it's hard to surface and load people in and out of the submersible. We have to operate with a bit of distance from the ship for comfort and safety. But yes, we expect to have the weather to do so on our first voyage.
Wonderful, thank you. Another question here about landing on Antarctica—this is from Winnie in the United States, and she asks: how many individuals are allowed off the ship per landing, and likely how many landings will be made per day?
That's a great question, Winnie. As a member of IAATO—the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators—we conform to their guidelines, which are also the Antarctic Treaty's guidelines, and that is for a maximum of 100 passengers or guests ashore at a time. In addition to that, we add our staff that are there for supervisory purposes, for interpretation, and so on. So we would land you in groups of up to 100 guests ashore at a time. Generally what we're doing is planning one long excursion each day. During that excursion we'll have the opportunity to do a landing ashore, but also the opportunity to get out in kayaks, or out in the special operations boat, or the subs. You can't do it all every day—I don't think you'd have the time or energy to do it every day. But that excursion window lasts from early morning until mid-afternoon, and so with that you'd have the opportunity to get ashore as part of your group each day. And again, that's—I will say this almost every question—that's wind, weather, and ice permitting.
Thank you. Linked to that, Elizabeth in the United States—I think you've slightly touched on this already—but she's asking: when you are ashore, is there an opportunity to do a true polar plunge outside the ship, or could she do snowshoeing or hiking or cross-country skiing?
Those are all great questions, great activities—glad to hear the adventurous spirit that would have you doing that. I have partaken in all of those activities in the Antarctic over the years, and the only one I'm not itching to go back and do is the polar plunge—I've done my share. Yes, we will look to provide an opportunity to do a polar plunge. Generally we do that from a Zodiac at the gangway or at the side gate of the ship, so that you don't have to get out of the water and then freeze waiting to get back to the ship. You can come out of the water back into the Zodiac, up into the ship, and make your way to the spa for a recovery, and then quickly on to the Explorer's Lounge to celebrate your intrepid nature. Snowshoeing and skiing is available on some of the landing sites—it depends on the snow cover and the time of season. Earlier season is the better time to snowshoe and ski on sites, but if we have the conditions, if they cooperate, then we've got skis ready to go and snowshoes. Both of those are designed to be used over your gumboots. So for the skis, you're not going to be skiing moguls or doing any freestyle or tricks, but more cross-country ski-style activity. And our staff—our expedition staff—includes trained mountain guides who will guide those activities to ensure safety on shore. Hiking is also possible at some of the landing sites. Again, those activities will be described in a pre-landing briefing. Every evening on board we'll have a briefing that discusses the next day's activities, recaps some of today's activities, but also gets into the nitty-gritty of what we're doing tomorrow—here's where we're going to go, this is what the weather looks like, and on shore here are the sites of interest, here are the activities that we'll anticipate doing, and how you can sign up for those activities.
Perfect, thank you, Aaron. Our next question is from Philippo in the United States, and he asks: is there an opportunity to sleep in a tent overnight on Antarctica?
Yes, there is. We have a small camping operation. We provide that one night of the trip—there's a sign-up for that—and you can have the opportunity to go ashore and sleep overnight. Generally in that circumstance you'd go ashore after dinner. Again, as part of our IAATO agreement, we pledge not to bring food ashore unnecessarily, so we wouldn't serve you a meal ashore. We do carry emergency rations on every landing just in case we get stranded—that's also part of our operating guidelines and principles. But the camping is ashore after dinner. Beautiful tents set up, nice thick Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad—it's about four inches thick—and a nice cozy sleeping bag and liner and a small pillow. And who knows—it's a bit of a secret, but there might even be a chocolate on the pillow. And you sleep—some will sleep very well, some will not—but you will be ashore overnight in the Antarctic. In the morning we'll take you back to the ship in time for breakfast. It is quite an experience. I've done it many a time over the years—as a staff member, as expedition leader, as camping master, and as kayak guide in various roles—and it was always a highlight to do it, as long as everybody slept well.
Amazing, thank you, Aaron. A quick question now from Mary in Albuquerque—she just asked: how many passengers are allowed on board the ship?
And just to clarify, there was how many passengers on board the ship? Yes—our guest capacity of the vessel is 378 passengers.
Thank you, Aaron. We've got a couple of questions coming in about the gear that's provided by Viking. So Sam in Vancouver asks about the boots and the pants which are supplied by Viking and which are reusable. He'd like to know how these are sanitized between guests, and also how he would provide his measurements. And we also have another question asking what sort of range of sizes will be available in the different gear.
Well, I can start off, Sam, by saying it doesn't surprise me that someone from Vancouver is worried about gumboots and rain pants and so on—living just north of you in Squamish, I also think about that type of gear fairly frequently. The gear is collected in between voyages. It's cleaned, it's sanitized—pants washed, sanitized. Boots—liners pulled out, sanitized. We have replacement insoles, spray sanitization of boots. We go through a biosecurity system on board the ship with commercial-grade boot washers that you walk through after your excursions to clean anything off the boots. So the boots are clean after each excursion, but the inside cleaning is done between departures. And we have a significant stock of boots down in the bowels of the ship, hidden below on shelves and racks, that we can change them out as we're drying and cleaning one set of boots. The final part of the question, Heather, just remind me—asking about the range of sizes that the clothing will be available in. The range of sizes—we have from, I think, extra small to triple extra large, something to that effect. That information and the size charts are located on your booking forms that you would receive during your pre-departure phase—so the communication coming from the office, from your sales team, they would have that information. That's where you could have a quick review of the size chart, check your size. Remember that different manufacturers are using slightly different sizes. Our gear—our jackets are all Helly Hansen jackets, so a well-known commercial brand. So their size charts—we would include that size chart in that material. You can have a look through, pick your size. Of course, if you get on the ship and you've grown or you've shrunk, or your feet are a different size—or, you know, my shoes, I wear a size 43 normally, European 43; the boots we use on the ship, I fit a 42 better. That happens. And we carry quite a significant stock, and there'll be time on board the ship when you can come back and say, 'You know, just not sure if this fits correctly or the best. I'd like a bit of extra space to put an extra layer underneath. Can I size up for another?' And that's no problem at all—we can do that. It's a very seamless integration, as you know from your experience on prior Viking trips. The team looks after you very well.
Thank you, Aaron. A couple of questions now about photography. So one from Sam again in Vancouver, who's asking: is it allowed to use a drone when he's in Antarctica? And then we have Harold, who I think is in the United States, who asks if you could recommend what focal length lenses for taking good photographs in Antarctica.
So the first one's easy—with regards to guest use of drones, no. As part of IAATO, the members of IAATO have agreed, due to concerns raised by the members of the Antarctic Treaty, to the potential of waste if a drone crashes or doesn't come back and can't be recovered, and the noise issue around drones and the disturbance—we've all decided that as operators we will not permit recreational use of drones with our operations, and that's across the board. Professional photographers can apply for a permit to use a drone if someone's coming down to film a documentary or something to that effect—companies can apply for commercial use. And we will use a drone occasionally for commercial use as we're just arriving in Antarctica, getting a bit of footage of the ship from a marketing perspective, and so on—that can be done. And we have a drone on board that the captain can use, or one of his officers would use, for navigational purposes—if we're getting into ice, they can send it up ahead to scout out a path for the ship. But passenger use of drones is not permitted. In terms of the second question on cameras, on focal length of cameras—I'm not a photographer, and I'll hold up my phone—that's the camera I have most often at my fingertips. And as they say, the best camera you can use is the one you have in your pocket or the one you have with you all the time. If you're asking about focal length, you know a little more than I do about cameras. What I would say is, I have shot—not professionally, but over the years, I started shooting with slide film and had a 300mm f/4 lens. I didn't need to use that very often. You like a longer focal length—probably a 200 to 300mm for shooting birds on the Drake Passage as you're going to Antarctica and coming back from Antarctica. Once you're down in Antarctica, having some wide-angle lenses for landscape, having something that's 80 to 120mm—a lens I used that was my workhorse for years. I say I'm not a photographer, but now it's coming back to me—my workhorse lens was a 24 to 120mm, and that sort of started with my slide camera and converted to my DSLR over time, and that was a great lens for me. And then I had a 200mm f/2.8—that was my sort of bird photography. But again, I needed the birds to be coming to me to get great shots. Taking a big 400mm—what I would consider a safari lens—isn't really necessary on the Antarctic Peninsula, because the wildlife is pretty easy—the penguins and the seals are pretty easy to get good views of up close, and they're not as intimidated by humans as they are in other parts of the world where there's more predation and so on.
Wonderful, thank you, Aaron. A couple of questions now about the Drake Passage. So we have Laurie in the United States asking: how likely is it to be rough? Winnie in the United States would like to know how long it's likely to take to cross the Drake Passage. And then we have Ursula asking: what can be done to help with seasickness should you suffer?
I will do my best to answer those. How likely is it to be rough? That one I can't answer—it's likely to be rough at some point. Storms tend to move through the Drake Passage fairly frequently, fairly quickly as they roll through. We have very good access to weather information. While they're predicting weather, forecasting software on the bridge—they will have a screen up at all times on one of the monitors on the bridge that shows the weather systems, what the wind's doing in the entire Drake Passage, and we'll plot a course—often maybe a little west of where we want to go to get around a system, or east of where we want to go to get around the system—and then once we pass that system, redirect onto course. Sometimes they say the fastest way to a destination at sea is around the weather and not directly to that destination. So in terms of how often it gets rough—we're there during the summer season, we're there during the better season. But people used to tell me that November, December was rougher than January, February, March—March was getting rough again. I can recall some of the most exciting storms I've been in were in mid-January, and some of the calmest days I've had were in November. That doesn't mean that one season is worse than the other. Over time, the ship is very well built to manage the seas. She's just crossed the Drake in fairly light conditions—three, four, five meter seas, 70-knot winds at the tail end—handled very well. The captain and officers on board were very happy with the performance of the ship at sea, so it's very comfortable. In terms of crossing time, again that's somewhat weather dependent, but we give ourselves sort of 40 hours or so to get across the Drake. Once we get down to the Antarctic Peninsula, we're generally in fairly sheltered waters for the rest of the voyage until we turn around and head north again, and then it's about another 40 hours across the Drake to get to the southern tip of South America. In terms of what can you do to deal with seasickness—if you know you're prone to seasickness, first of all don't assume that you will be seasick just because you've been seasick before. Seasickness—I'm sure doctors feel that they have a handle on what causes it and all the different things, but I find it as a lifelong sailor, it's somewhat irrational. I've been a kayak guide since my late teens—I've been seasick in a kayak as a kayak guide, I've been seasick at sea, I've been seasick on sailboats. I've also been in conditions where I expected to be sick and I wasn't, and it's not really predictable. So talk to your doctor before you go down to the ship if you're concerned about being seasick.
Being seasick and finding a medication that's recommended—there's some great forums online where you can find recommendations, but do check with your local doctor to make sure it doesn't contraindicate with any of your other regular medications you're taking. That is an important function, is to make sure it's not going to create any issues with other conditions you might have.
