Who knew a 15-second video clip could be so controversial? One social media influencer, named Naomi Jane Adams (@naomijaneadams) has received some frosty reactions from her followers after posting a short TikTok from a recent expedition to Antarctica onboard an undisclosed Albatros Expeditions ship.
In the clip, Adams can be seen lounging on her private balcony in a makeshift bed she set up outside.
Despite the freezing Antarctic temperatures, where it’s so cold that snow covers the mountains and ice pops up on the ocean’s surface even during the summer, the influencer is posing while only wearing shorts.
“Is somebody gonna match my freak (travel to Antarctica and set up my bed on the ship balcony so I don’t miss any whales, penguins, & seals),” she wrote in black text over the video.
Since its posting on June 25, 2024, the TikTok has racked up 2.3 million views and over 2,100 comments – with most viewers not willing to “match Adams’ freak.”
“Sit out there when you go through Drake’s passage,” joked one commenter, in reference to the notoriously rough seas in the waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands.
“I’m sorry I’d be so scared of rolling off the edge or kicking my blanket off,” wrote another TikToker, who was concerned about safety.
While it’s typically difficult to fall off a cruise ship without actively making the decision to jump, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for a blanket or pillow to slip through the gaps between the railings in the balcony – and typically cruise lines have strict rules about throwing anything overboard that can come with hefty fines.
Is A Private Balcony Bed A Good Idea?
While bringing blankets onto a private patio might make it cozier, the idea of setting up a makeshift bed and staying outside for long periods of time in little clothing, especially somewhere as cold as Antarctica, seems questionable at best.
Expeditions to Antarctica can only take place during the summer months in the South Pole, with the cruising season typically lasting from November to March. Even during the warmest time of the year, temperatures still average around 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
For context, anything below 32 degrees Fahrenheit is considered freezing. Staying out in these temperatures could certainly put someone at risk for conditions like Hypothermia – a dangerous medical emergency that occurs when a person’s body temperature becomes either too high or too low.
In extremely cold conditions, hypothermia can take hold in as little as 10 minutes and become lethal in under an hour. Naturally, the freezing temps were on many peoples’ minds in the comments section of the viral TikTok.
“How are you not freezing?” asked one user.
“Are you not like freezing cold?,” questioned another.
Adams did reply to some comments to say that she didn’t feel that cold – and it’s unclear what the temperatures really were when the video was filmed.
Read Also: Unique Cruise Destinations You Don’t Want to Miss Out On
So, why did Adams choose to make such a controversial and potentially dangerous decision? According to the TikToker, she was on the lookout for unique wildlife in the region.
While it’s always exciting to come across marine wildlife during a cruise, Antarctica is home to some special creatures that cruisers would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the world, such as humpback whales, multiple species of penguins, orcas, Antarctic fur seals, minke whales, elephant seals, brown skuas (birds), wandering albatross, and more.
