Survivors Recall Their Rescue From Icy Waters

Nov. 26, 2007— -- Today the passengers of the M/S Explorer were enjoying something they had greatly learned to appreciate -- warmth.

One survivor of the ship's evacuation told ABC News, "I never thought in my life that it would happen to me -- but all of a sudden, it happens."

Many people go to the Antarctic for the sense of adventure -- the sense of being "out there" and being far from civilization.

When the Explorer struck ice and started taking on water last week, these adventure seekers got their fill.

Passenger Kay Van Horne from Denver said, "I looked down those steps, saw the water, and knew that this is beyond seriousness."

"The captain was yelling, 'Abandon ship! Abandon ship!' like, four times," laughed passenger Torrey Trust, "and everyone just rushes out to the lifeboats."

Trust, a San Diego native, was on her honeymoon. She, her husband and 152 other passengers in open lifeboats were far from land, near the Antarctic Circle, where air temperatures were in the 20s.

"It was so cold and windy, you don't want to bring your head up," Trust recalled, "so we were all just huddled together in the boat."

Today, even the Antarctic is not quite as remote as one might think.

Tour companies say 35,000 people cruised to the frigid area last year, up 29 percent from the year before.

Ships' movements are coordinated for safety and operate on a buddy system. When Explorer got in trouble, three other cruise ships were close enough to come to the rescue.

"The miraculousness of being in Antarctica and within six hours of a boat," Van Horne mused, "Remarkable, remarkable."

Trust recalled the emotional moment of their rescue: "We just saw that boat on the horizon. It was just screaming and cheering with a helicopter overhead. It was really great."

Now the passengers are safe and warm -- and headed north.