8 September 2011 A Glimpse Under the Ice

Diving seems like a lot of work

What have we learned about Antarctic diving so far? It requires a lot of stuff.

1. We need a giant drill to create a dive hole.
2. We need a dive hut to keep the dive hole from freezing.
3. We need to wear several layers of warm, puffy clothing.
4. We need a drysuit to keep the water from soaking into those warm layers.
5. We need a lot of weight to then get us to sink.
6. We put on uncomfortable gear including hoods, mask, and multiple layers of gloves.
7. We drive in the Pisten Bully to the dive hut, sometimes one hour from McMurdo Station.

What can possibly be worth all of this effort?

Here is the amazing part.

Above the ice of McMurdo Sound, the landscape looks very much the same. There is a lot of ice and snow, interrupted by the occasional mountain.

Above the sea ice, there are few signs of life. It is mostly just ice and snow. Above the ice, the landscape is the same: ice and snow.

But beneath the ice, in the 28˚F water, there is so much life. There are bright colors. There are amazing animals, some of which look familiar, but they are also very different from animals we know.

It's really difficult to put this experience into words, so here are a few pictures.

This is what divers look like under the ice. We're a little more graceful in the water than we are on land!

This is what Dr. Marsh looks like under the ice. (Photo courtesy of Stacy Kim) This is what Mike looks like under the ice. (Photo courtesy of Stacy Kim)

For our first dive, we explored a site that Drs. Marsh and Kim have a lot of experience at, called The Jetty. It is very close to McMurdo Station. There is a lot to look at along a big wall made from large stones. Here's a quick glimpse at some of some of what we saw.

These are large volcano sponges. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh) We saw many of these anemones on our first dive. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)

For our first dive, it was tremendous. I have to admit that my heart was pounding. There is an excitement with diving under the ice. There is so much to see and explore. This is a chance to see what only a few people have seen before. This is a chance to visit a world that has so many interesting animals, each with their own story.

We saw lots of fish among the rocks. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)

Every dive is a special experience, but one highlight of this dive was an encounter with a seal, up in the shallow area where the ice is forming against the land. The seal was amazingly graceful in the water and I realized how awkward and goofy we divers must look.

Here are some soft corals and a sea star. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh) There were lots of sea stars. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)

But before you know it, it is over and time to leave. Fortunately, this is just the first of many encounters we will have beneath the ice.

So, this is why we have done all of this work. There is so much to explore and learn!