PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR DIVING WORKSHOP NY-ÅLESUND, SVALBARD MARCH 15-21, 2007 Smithsonian Lang, M.A. and M.D.J. Sayer (eds.) 2007. Proceedings of the International Polar Diving Workshop. Svalbard, March 15-21, 2007. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 213 pp. Copyright 2007 by Smithsonian Institution PO Box 37012 – MRC 009 Washington, DC 20013-7012 USA All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by photostat, microfilm, pdf, or any other means without written permission from the publisher. The publication of this document was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Office of the Under Secretary for Science, the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs, the NERC Facility for Scientific Diving, and Diving Unlimited International, Inc. The U.S. Government is authorized to produce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding the copyright annotation that appears above. Opinions and data presented at the Workshop and in the Proceedings are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Smithsonian Institution, National Science Foundation, U.K. National Facility for Scientific Diving, or Diving Unlimited International, Inc. Cover: Emperor penguin tracks heading South in Antarctica (left) Polar bear tracks heading North in Svalbard (right) Cover photo provided courtesy of Langdon B. Quetin Ultimate IPDW quote: “It’s better to finish your dive before you finish your gas…” Roberto “Bob” Palozzi PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR DIVING WORKSHOP NY-ÅLESUND, SVALBARD MARCH 15-21, 2007 Smithsonian CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…iii WELCOME…iv 1. Introductory session DRYSUIT DIVING MICHAEL A. LANG …….…………………………..................................................1 2. Equipment session A REVIEW OF DIVER THERMAL PROTECTION STRATEGIES FOR POLAR DIVING: PRESENT AND FUTURE ROBERT T. STINTON ……..……………………………………………………...13 SCUBA REGULATORS FOR USE IN COLD WATER: THE U.S. NAVY PERSPECTIVE JOHN R. CLARKE ………….……………………………………………………..35 Equipment discussion session …………….………………………………………………...44 3. Decompression session COLD WATER DECOMPRESSION SERGIO ANGELINI ……..………………………………………………………..55 COLD STRESS AS DCS FACTOR PETER H.J. MUELLER ………………………………………….………………63 Decompression discussion session …………………………………………………………73 4. Scientific diving session NORWAY’S POLAR RESEARCH: A SELECTIVE OVERVIEW HAAKON HOP …………………..……………………………………………..…83 UNDER SEA ICE DIVING OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT BY UK ORGANISATIONS IN SUPPORT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH MARTIN D.J. SAYER, KEIRON P.P. FRASER, TRACY M. SHIMMIELD AND JEREMY P. WILKINSON …..…..…………………………………...………..95 PACK ICE DIVING LANGDON B. QUETIN AND ROBIN M. ROSS ..…..………………………...…......111 USAP SCIENTIFIC DIVING PROGRAM MICHAEL A. LANG AND ROB ROBBINS …..………………………………...…..133 ANTARCTICA NEW ZEALAND DIVING ACTIVITY STEVE MERCER ………………………………………………………..………157 ANTARCTIC INLAND WATERS: SCIENTIFIC DIVING IN THE PERENNIALLY ICE- COVERED LAKES OF THE MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS AND BUNGER HILLS DALE T. ANDERSEN ………………………………………………………….….163 FINLAND’S ICE DIVING RESEARCH JUHA FLINKMAN ………..……………………………………………..………171 CANADIAN ARCTIC SCIENCE DIVING JEREMY W. STEWART ……………………………………………………..…..175 i ICE AMPHIPODS IN DRIFTING SEA ICE AROUND SVALBARD: QUANTITATIVE COLLECTIONS BY SCUBA DIVERS HAAKON HOP AND OLGA PAVLOVA ……………………………………………181 Scientific diving discussion session .………………..……………………………………187 5. General discussion session THE COMPARATIVE INCIDENCE OF DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS IN ANTARCTIC SCIENTIFIC DIVERS MARTIN D.J. SAYER, MICHAEL A. LANG, AND STEVE MERCER …….…………..191 USCG HEALY DIVING MISHAP MICHAEL A. LANG ...……………………………………………………………197 General discussion A. SNORKELING WITH KILLER WHALES ….……………………………………….201 B. USCG HEALY DIVING MISHAP COMMENTS ...…….…………………………….201 C. IPDW DIVE COMPUTER USE ..……..………………………………………………202 D. SCIENTIFIC ICE DIVER TRAINING/CERTIFICATION ……..…………………….203 E. COMMENTARY DICK LONG ………….………………………………………………………….205 6. Conclusion session Discussion …….……….………………………………………………………….………..209 Consensus Recommendations ………………………………………………………..……211 7. IPDW Participants ………………………………………………………………………213 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge and extend sincere appreciation to the International Polar Diving Workshop co-sponsors: Dr. Ira Rubinoff (Smithsonian Institution), Dr. Michael Montopoli (National Science Foundation), Dr. Martin D.J. Sayer (NERC Facility for Scientific Diving), Mr. Dick Long and Ms. Susan Long (Diving Unlimited International, Inc.). This international scientific diving workshop would not have been possible without their combined support. Workshop participants are thanked for their presentations and submission of manuscripts in a timely fashion. The short production time of these proceedings could not have happened without the full cooperation of the authors. The Workshop Co-Chairs take satisfaction in having assembled this expert panel of professionals who contributed their expertise in polar diving. The international, interdisciplinary nature of this project was evidenced by participation of colleagues from the military, commercial, recreational and scientific diving communities and the papers they presented. Participation from Scotland, Norway, Germany, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Switzerland and the United States provided an international perspective in science, medicine, equipment engineering and manufacturing and polar scientific diving operational and safety considerations. The Workshop organizers are grateful for the assistance and support of many individuals, including: Hugh Brown and Simon Thurston (NFSD), Christian McDonald (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and Rob Robbins (Raytheon Polar Services Company) for diving support; Dr. Peter H.J. Mueller (GTÜM e.V.) for diving medical support; Dr. Sergio Angelini and Emmanuel Glauser (UWATEC) for dive computer support; and, Arvid Påsche, Brit Gulvag, Bård Holand (Thelma, AS), Alf Brubakk (NUST), KingsBay staff, and Laurie Penland, Shelly Cole and Stacy Cavanagh (Smithsonian Institution) for administrative and logistical support. Finally, I thank my Workshop Co-Chair Martin Sayer. I enjoyed our collaboration, mutual interest in advancing the practice of polar scientific diving and his spirit(s) from Oban. All indications are that we succeeded in accomplishing our workshop objectives. However, we both agreed not to put ourselves in the position of leading another contribution from the scientific diving community during the next International Polar Year. Michael A. Lang Smithsonian Institution Workshop Co-Chair iii WELCOME We are pleased welcome all participants and open the 2007 International Polar Diving Workshop here at the new Arctic Marine Laboratory in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. Generous support has been provided for this re-assessment of polar scientific diving operations by the NSF Office of Polar Programs, the Smithsonian Institution, the NERC Facility for Scientific Diving and Diving Unlimited International, Inc. Approximately four decades ago scientists were first able to enter the undersea polar environment to make biological observations for a nominal period of time. Since those first ice dives in wetsuits without buoyancy compensators and double-hose regulators without submersible pressure gauges technology has advanced. Today’s scientific ice divers have the potential of extending their observational and experimental depths and times to limits never before available. Novel ice diving techniques have expanded the working envelope based on scientific need to include use of dive computers, oxygen-enriched air, rebreather units, blue- water diving and drysuit systems. With the advent of new technology greater scientific productivity is achieved while maintaining the scientific diving community’s exemplary safety record. The precursor to this diving safety research project is the 1991 Polar Diving Workshop (Lang and Stewart, eds., 1992, available online at www.si.edu/dive). Fifteen years of experience later we confront the need to re-evaluate and update those polar diving recommendations through the combined expertise of polar diving scientists, manufacturers of drysuits and dive computers, medical and decompression experts and diving safety officers. During this International Polar Year (March 2007-2009) an increased level of attention will be focused on the Arctic and Antarctica and this project constitutes a contribution from the international polar scientific diving community. In order to avoid working in isolation and re-inventing procedures this project is interdisciplinary in nature and international in scope including participants from the U.K., New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Panama and the United States. Workshop agenda topics we will address include advances in: equipment technology for ice diving (e.g., thermal protection and regulator design, surface-supplied diving and dive computers), physiological knowledge of cold-water effects on decompression strategies, methods and techniques of under-ice research and operational and diver training procedures specific to the polar environments. Michael A. Lang Martin D.J. Sayer Workshop Co-Chair Workshop Co-Chair Smithsonian Institution NERC Facility for Scientific Diving U.S.A. Scotland iv iv DRYSUIT DIVING Michael A. Lang Smithsonian Institution Office of the Under Secretary for Science PO Box 37012, MRC 009 Washington, DC 20013-7012 U.S.A. The theoretical knowledge a drysuit diver must master involves several interrelated