painful cleanup of the two deep cuts in my head, the
doctor began stitching me up, and I gratefully fell asleep.
I felt better the next morning after a good night’s
sleep and was hoping to get out of bed. I was eager
to plan my next few days on board before I could get
back to diving, but I soon learned that the vessel had
changed direction and was moving full speed north in
preparation for my evacuation. I resisted at first, asking
to keep the program going for the rest of the 50 guests,
but the potential damage from my injuries was too
great. I had a probable concussion, and I’d lost more
than a pint of blood from my head wounds, so I had to
be evacuated to a hospital in Chile as soon as possible.
“Do you have DAN insurance?” was the first question
I was asked when I was well enough to talk. When I
pulled that familiar red and white membership card
from my briefcase I felt as though I’d produced the “Get
Out of Jail Free” card from the Monopoly board game.
Getting out of Antarctica quickly was very tricky.
For the next two days the boat steamed full speed
ahead, north from the polar circle to King George
Island, where the Chilean base has the only airstrip
on the Antarctic Peninsula that can regularly and
reliably serve South America. Flying in and out of
Antarctica is considered “touch and go.” A plane can
take off from Puntarenas in Chile or from the base
only if the weather at the final destination is clear
for visual landing, as there is no instrument or light
landing on Antarctica. At the midpoint of the flight,
the pilot performs a second weather check to confirm
if conditions are clear for landing. If the weather has
deteriorated, the pilot will turn back, which happens
about 80 percent of the time, because weather in
Antarctica changes every few hours.
By early morning I learned that DAN had mobilized a
plane to fetch me, providing the weather remained clear
over King George Island. As the plane reached the point
of no return, I was ready to leave. I said goodbye to all
of my expedition guests as I was lowered off the vessel,
52 hours after the accident occurred. One of my guests,
Mark Fernandez, kindly volunteered to escort me to
King George Island and stayed by my side.
As soon as I touched land and the Zodiac inflatable
boat returned to the ship, they lifted anchor to continue
their diving adventure. My adventure at the moment
was more about survival.
The two officers at the nondescript wooden hut at
the Chilean base spoke only Spanish. The place was
semiheated, with worn furniture and a few small black-
and-white prints — one of the polar explorer Sir Ernest
Shackleton and the other of the Chilean vessel that arrived
in 1916 for the rescue of Shackleton’s team from Elephant
Island. The photos reminded me of the remoteness of my
location and the direness of my circumstances.
Stepping outside the hut, I saw the weather change yet
again. I could hear the airplane above the dense clouds,
but I could not see it. It then occurred to me that the
pilot could not see the runway any better than I could
see the airplane. Yet, with no other options available, the
pilot plunged through the cloud bank and landed safely.
Once again I was asked to show my DAN insurance
card, and I was admitted to the plane. The pilot came to
the door with a long face and said something in Spanish.
I couldn’t understand his words, but the meaning was
clear: There was a problem. Visibility over the runway
had reduced to less than one mile.
Expecting to be stuck on the ground for another day,
I was astonished when the clouds broke with enough
time for the pilot to get us all aboard and lift off. It
happened in the nick of time; the clouds over King
George shut down the airport only 30 minutes later.
After takeoff the flight was uneventful. I ended up in
a hospital in Puntarenas, Chile, under excellent care and
constant supervision.
During the next few days the charter service that
operated my evacuation checked in with me. They said
that the cost for my evacuation was $30,000 — and
this was in 2004 dollars. It might cost twice that much
today. Once more I was reminded of the value of my
DAN membership and insurance, not only for the
education and peripheral benefits provided but also
for the very real insurance benefits and evacuation
assistance when I was in need.
There is a reason I ask my guests on our
BigAnimals.
com
expeditions to have DAN insurance. In the remote
areas of the world to which we travel to experience
the photo opportunities we enjoy, we need someone
watching our backs, and that is what DAN does.
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