Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 10:47

Mike, First I want to let you know how wonderful your journal posts are! I suspect you already do know, but keep up the great job, I am thoroughly enjoying reading these. I saw the entrance hole that you and the other divers use and thought you must feel like a seal hopping in there. The big question I have is how do you keep from getting turned around under the ice? How easy is it to get lost? I imagine there are guide ropes or some such in place, but I would love to see what it looks like under the ice as you swim back. Keep warm and safe - Susan Summers Virginia Living Museum

Michael League

Susan,Great comments and thanks for the compliment. The answer to you
question has to do with the water visibility. That's how far divers can
see through the water. The water here in Antarctica during WinFly is
incredibly clear. Unlike where you and I live, there is not a lot of
floating material in the water (like microscopic plants or sediment).
Underwater visibility varies from location to location. In most places
on the East Coast, divers can see 25-40 feet underwater. In the really
clear waters of Florida, you might be able to see 100 feet. Here in
McMurdo Sound at WinFly, we can see for easily hundreds to maybe a few
thousand feet. That makes it very easy to see those flags and strobe
lights on the down-line underwater. From the bottom, it's actually very
easy to see the hole - it looks like a very bright perfect circle in the
sea ice above you. We'll try to take some wide angle landscape photos
and some photos of the dive hole from underneath. Thanks for the
suggestion.
Mike