They were cruising for a bruising. Passengers freaked out as 40-foot waves slammed into a cruise liner navigating a treacherous stretch of ocean off Antarctica, as seen in freaky footage on Instagram.

Terrifying footage captured the moment a cruise ship hit 40ft waves while travelling through one of the most dangerous sea crossings in the world. The Quark Expeditions' Ocean Explorer ship was making its way through the notorious Drake Passage, between the southern tip of South America and Antarctic, when it was slammed by the huge waves.

It was the passengers aboard Quark Expeditions’ Ocean Explorer ship that felt the true wrath of the waters as they went flying about, sliding across the floors and knocking into the walls. Lesley Anne Murphy, a travel blogger on board captured the footage showing her fellow cruisers experiencing Drake Passage during a return trip from Antarctica.