Antarctic Peninsula a NASA Team Was Surprised Need to Worry About Non- Region Is Warming More Quickly When It Lowered a Video Cam- Native Species

A Voyage to the

AntarcticText and photos by Michael Aw Peninsula At 2:00 am, it is already daylight on Pléneau Island, a place where floating icebergs become grounded, a graveyard of diverse towering structures of ice articulated in extraordinary forms. In a quintessential snowy landscape, snowflakes of perfect shape fall over me, a moment of utter isolation. I am the only one awake among the few that have chosen to sleep on ice with a sleeping bag, our way of bonding with the final wilderness—Antarctica, the last of our planet’s pristine milieu.

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Penguins head fo the water to feed; Expedition members spent the night in sleeping bags on solid ice; Chinstrap penguins keep close bonds with their young

The mere mention of Antarctica to exploit the rich bounty of by fast Late triggers the imagination and its frigid waters, Antarctica flowing afternoon, the evokes stunning images of a continues to weave its magic, southern third day of majestic frozen continent laden profoundly alluring the modern ocean waters the voyage, with resident penguins, polar day adventurer to its freezing squeezed we made bears and whales. In the real shores. My journey began with between the landfall and world, there are no polar bears a three-day flight and transits land masses landed on in the Antarctic, and there are to Ushuaia, the southernmost of South Aitcho Island, no penguins in the north Arctic. city of the world, about 3,300km America and named for Though both the Antarctic and south of Buenos Aires. Antarctica. the British Arctic are high latitude, freezing Indeed, this picturesque Storms Admiralty’s polar regions, the similarities end town endowed with a unique frequently whip the ocean into Hydrographic Office, which there. The enormous Antarctic landscape of high snow- a gloomy gray tumultuous, I read was covered with is an un-colonized continent capped mountains, sea, heaving mass of water, extensive beds of moss and covered with ice, whereby the glaciers and forests is a fitting notorious for sinking many lichens. There was hardly north Arctic is comprised of a gateway for nature tourists on ships. My crossing with the any in sight. Instead, there frozen ocean at the North Pole, their way to Antarctica. From Polar Pioneer was to be a lucky was a Middle Kingdom-like surrounded by land masses to here, it is purported to be a one; riding with the southwest landscape with an expanse the south of which some are dreadful 50 hours crossing the wind of 24 knots, the vessel of ice inhabited by thousands heavily populated by humans. Drake Passage, which has averaging 12 knots, crossing the of Gentoo and Chinstrap Once the domain of explorers earned a place in history as Antarctic Convergence to see penguins. who had fallen under its mystical having some of the roughest the first icebergs on the second Much like the animals on enchantment and of appalling sea weather in the world. morning. We were in Antarctic Galapagos, these flightless whalers and sealers who came Drake Passage is dominated water. birds have no fear of human

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THIS PAGE: Ice! Views of the ice structures and icebergs of Antarctica

intrusion; they happily go about Antarctica squawking away and doing little Though there is lots of snow and penguin chores, from inflating ice around, Antarctica is really a their chest and pointing beaks desert environment with less than towards the sky, letting loose a 4mm of precipitation monthly huge lunch-whistle call to mates, making it the driest continent on to rearranging pebbly rocks for earth. The amount of moisture a brand new nest. Whilst we received by the polar continent is respectfully stayed at a distance, comparable to that falling on the at most times, it’s the birds that world’s hottest deserts. Antarctica approached us so close that we is also the coldest continent on could smell their fishy breath. Earth. The lowest temperature ever I walked right to the far side of recorded was minus 89.2°C at the island, up the saddle between Vostok, at the Australian Antarctic two hills to take in the panoramic Territory, in 1983. More than 98 view of Whalebone Beach in percent of Antarctica land mass the midst of a spectacular vista is covered with an enormous ice tainted with little gray blobs cap with an averaging thickness of elephant seals, sea lions of 2.2km deep. and penguins. A few of them, The continent itself, which is seemingly emerging from a snow the size of the United States and storm, were staggering up hill Europe combined, is comprised towards me. of 5.4 million sq miles, but in the

28 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Split view of iceberg above and below the water’s surface; Life on Antarctica—expedition member plays music for the locals; Territorial disputes are travel bound to erupt amongst close neighbors Antarctica

backpack and dive gear from the dive dense expedition leader. deck to join the shore excursion group at Nevertheless I persevered, grasping the bow! I came to conclude that it was on every window of opportunity to not freezing water of the polar region encapsulate the splendor of Antarctica’s or the reptilian-like leopard seal that is magnificent wilderness. With an intensity dangerous, but the thoughtlessness of a unfelt since puberty, I fought to retain the infinite impressions that Austral winter of June to October, the an expedition leader who had flooded the senses. environ of surrounding heavy pack ice a mission in life to make sure I Towering mountains increases in area to more than seven failed. rose abruptly out of the million square miles. If these were to Shooting in Antarctica is a sea, shrouded with steep melt with the current trend of increasing challenge for the photographer glaciers plundering down global temperature, seven million cubic and equipment to survive the to deep freezing waters. square miles of water would be released, elements; sub-zero temperatures, Superlatives necessitate resulting in the ocean rising between 45 melting ice, powdery snow a new meaning. Sunsets to 60m! This catastrophic event would and volcanic ash don’t really expand the consciousness not only flood numerous coastal cities, go very well with cameras. To with colors that I have but the entire world’s weather would be pursue better quality time with never seen before, thrown into irreversible mayhem. the animals and a space to work bizarre and vivid, tinted in without the tourists, arrangements delicate shades of rose, Shooting in Antarctica were made for me to go off on orange, lavender and My personal objective for participating my own during shore excursions. gold that never seemed in a photography and dive expedition On every occasion, the to end. was to capture a sample of an above expedition leader-from-hell would Icebergs came in a and below portfolio of the Antarctica disrupt the plan, and in one myriad of sizes from the Peninsula. I soon realized that I was too instance, he had me scamper colossal to the petite ambitious. For the shoot, I had to carry a in icy conditions suited up in in fanciful shapes and 30kg backpack of cameras, a pole cam a dry suit, lugging a polecam, impossible hues of aqua, for each landing, and I had to fight with underwater housing, 30kg palest blue to mint green

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Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) peeks into the camera; Common seal raises his head; Colony of Emperor Penguins

floated on mirrored waters like rough- distance my lens, fell upon a leopard breed for the next generation. cut diamonds sculptured by artisans seal sun-basking on an ice flow right This proliferation of nature was from heaven. Antarctica fulfills the in the vicinity of the divers. That astonishing to watch as it took place childhood dream of adventure, would have made an awesome in the frozen, unforgiving landscape, exploration, and fantasy with its over-under picture. which harbors it. Yes, I did capture ethereal landscape. It shimmers with Despite the apparent hostility quite a few frames of mating Gentoo­ a savage beauty, unique wildlife of Antarctica, the coastal region, —my first of penguins doing naughty and raw power exceeding any especially at the peninsula, teems things. Along with the Adélies and expectations. The term, immense, with a profusion of wildlife. However, Chinstraps, Gentoos belong to the took on a new-found significance, as the animals are highly specialized, genus Pygoscelis, meaning “brush- I obstinately attempted to freeze the and whilst diversity is relatively low, tailed” and so-called because of moment onto film. I could only try. overall densities of individual species their long paint-brush shaped tails. are in astronomical numbers; there But really there are only two kinds Abundant life are tens of millions of penguins alone. of penguins in the Antarctica—the One morning at Charlotte Bay, while In this most fundamental of white ones walking towards you the divers got their first taste of diving environments, this sheer number of and the black ones walking away in sub-zero water temperature, I wildlife flourishes each spring and from you. Penguins are mostly white- managed to find a quiet locale to into the late summer as the Antarctic breasted with a black back! work on an over and under picture Peninsula “reawakens” from its cold Though I remember my fingers of an ice flow. Nearby, there were dark slumber. As my trip began at were numb beyond comprehension two Weddell seals, and a few the end of November, this was the submerged for those over and Gentoo penguins ambled by, going time for the penguins, seals and birds under shots, I was too immersed in somewhere, going nowhere. In the to start to convene to court and enthusiasm to feel the pain and the

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THIS PAGE: Scenes from colony life of the Emporer penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri)

cold. But as I am writing this back significance of wearing many layers Center (UAC). Originally, it was the home over a cold Australian winter, of clothing with plenty of air between British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Faraday how I wish I was born a penguin. them. All outdoor cold weather-wear station first built during the British Those tuxedoed birds are a is borne of this concept. Graham Land Expedition (1934- resourceful bunch when it comes to Now the penguin’s equivalent of 37). Vernadsky to date is the oldest dealing with cold weather; they are a PATAGONIA polar suit are their operational station in the Antarctic able to make their own heat and tightly overlapping, ruffle-resisting Peninsula area, and it is here where carry it with them wherever they go. feathers, which trap a layer of warm the hole in the ozone layer was first Like seals and sea lions, penguins are air against its skin. Each feather is also discovered. also endowed with a natural layer fluff down at its shaft, and the down I met with the resident marine of blubber developed from a diet of layer provides added insulation. The biologist, Andrei Utevsky, who krill, squids and planktonic oils. This feathers are also shiny, long, curved regularly dives beneath the ice thick layer of blubber is an excellent and overlapped liked carefully laid in a 7mm wet suit and is still using insulator and also serves as fuel for roof tiles. So to speak, penguins are some 1950’s camera system for his the long, cold breeding season. This is ingeniously air and water tight. research. Now that is tough, putting nature’s evolutionary design in natural those of us in our place who dive heating technology. Exploration in drysuits in 20ºC water. His passion We all know that air is the best Six days into the voyage, we is overwhelming, especially to be insulator; any one spending time sailed into Galindez Island to visit working 24/7 in one the loneliest on the ski field will recognize the Vernadsky¹, the Ukraine Antarctic outermost posts at the bottom of the

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LEFT TO RIGHT: Snow on the deck of the ship; The rugged ice and awesome scenery of Antarctica; What in the world are they thinking?

world. The station is snowed in for sightings in 1820. Of course, Shackleton, Douglas Mawson and Antarctic Treaty², protecting the about eight months of the year and Antarctica was finally explored, Ronald Amundsen—who ventured last continent for centuries and only receives 250 days of snowfall and plundered, during the Age of deep into the vast whiteness of the future generations. The 1961 treaty and barely 800 hours of sunshine— Discovery by senseless men through interior in search of the final “holy is abided by 12 nations: Argentina, i.e. about 70 days in a year! I am the ages, and it did not take long grail” of discovery, the South Pole— Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, sure he is glad that it‘s only a for our species to take advantage Antarctica did much to generate Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South 13-month posting. of trusting, defenseless wildlife and interest in the frozen continent. Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Human beings are relative ruthlessly plunder the continent’s The lessons of the 18-month-long Kingdom and the United States. newcomers to Antarctica. The biological richness to the point International Geophysical Year It recognizes that in the interest search for the continent was the that the whales and fur seals were (1957-1959) shed indepth knowledge of all humankind that Antarctica last great achievement of global commercially extinct. Whaling on Antarctica, which steered an should continue forever to be used exploration—an epic tale spanning activities continued into the mid- era of scientific and conservation exclusively for peaceful purposes centuries of high adventure, from 1980’s. movements. and should not become the object the “unknown southern land” of Through the enthusiasm of the The continent’s history reached of international discord. Well, that the ancients to the first recorded great explorers, Robert Scott, Ernest a pinnacle with the signing of the was done with good intent.

32 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Family of Chinstrap Adelie penguin feeds young- Penguin (Pygoscelis ster; Spreading their wings at antarcticus) the bottom of the world (below) NEXT PAGE: Chinstrap penguins Antarctica travel climb up huge hill to reach their nesting sites

Deception Island On the eighth day, we reached Deception Island to land at Bailey Head. Here lies one of Antarctica’s biggest Chinstrap penguin rookeries; there are more than 200,000 mating pairs—a magnitude beyond words, beyond imagination. Whatever compels the little penguins to establish nesting sites, some up to 2km up hills, is beyond human comprehension. Especially since it is life’s greatest inconvenience, as every so often, it is necessary for them to totter down a ‘pink’ highway to the sea, porpoise madly for food, returning with a hop, splash on the beach, shake, shake and step, step… and waddle back up the beaten track to their nest. The penguin highway, as I see it, is the most amazing wildlife phenomenon I’ve ever seen. As I watched, I stood humbled by the power of nature’s resourcefulness. The hundreds and thousands of

Unlike expeditions undertaken by the early explorers, the advent of modern day air travel and special interest agents have made organizing a voyage to Antarctica a relatively easy feat, albeit an expensive one. Compared to some of my diving expeditions, which take sometimes up to a year to organize, an Antarctica voyage is like a walk in the park. All it takes is booking an airline ticket to Ushuaia and a reservation with one of the expedition companies such as Aurora Expeditions aboard the Polar Pioneer. Literally, it is really that simple, and you do not need to have the fitness of an Olympian either; a 12-year-old can do it, as well as a 75-year-old. The average age on board on one of these tourist boats is 50. As such, for the last two summers, approximately 14,000 tourists were carried to Antarctica by 14 IAATO³ member companies. And if you are one of those who just wants to brag about having been there, there is always the easy, economical couch-potato option of booking a 12-hour turn-around flight from Sydney, Australia, to see Antarctica in the comfort of a Boeing 747.

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34 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Ominous cliffs of an iceberg; Reclining fur seal; Antarctic lanscape; Emporer penguins wary of hunt- Antarctica travel ing sea lions cautiously enter the water inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list. All competitive feats should be banned. Humans do not have a good track record when it comes to treatment of the ocean; our very existence is very dependent on the world’s most isolated continent— the engine room for much of the world’s weather. The future of this sensitive region depends on our diligence to protect and manage the wildlife and preventing pollution and contamination of the land, sea, air and ice. Nature tourism should be carefully reviewed, restricting vessel capacity to 50 or less. Mass tourism of 500 on a cruise ship is making a joke out of our planet’s final pristine frontier. Perhaps some rich American should replicate Antarctica right on the Las Vegas Strip, along side the mockeries of the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids—which observation point of the errors of the past, after up on the hill, I Bailey Head, the Polar Pioneer spotted some birds sailed around the corner, approaching the negotiated the narrow Neptune’s shore. I picked out Bellows passage and landed one and watched on Whalers Bay, an old whaling the swell dump it station located in the inner up onto the beach. caldera of Deception Island—a It stood erect and bleak landscape of decaying step, step, step and buildings, fuel tanks and boats halt. Shake. It joined that once supported the outpost the endless flow of human brutality. The place is of penguin traffic a very clear paradigm of human highway, uphill on exploitation of the land and the the left, downhill on sea; thousands of whales were the right. slaughtered at Whalers Bay I timed the during the station’s operation. I journey; it took the felt ashamed of the human race. bird 70 minutes to reach his colony. Afterthoughts The hike up that I perceive Antarctica in a mountain was quite different light after the voyage. a trek even for the Rather than a destination to penguins making the trek from average person. How a bird the conquer, or to prove that one their nests in the hills down to the height of my calf and with legs has earned his manhood by sea to feed required the agility the size of my toe can do it is reaching the South Pole, or to and strength equivalent to a sheer bewilderment. ski cross-continent, Antarctica triathlon competitor. From my As if we need to be reminded should be protected and be

35 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Lounging fur seal seems to satisfy the simple-minded. The Antarctica travel preservation of this magical part of our planet is dependent on its remoteness, far away from human encroachment and exploitation. It is an international treasure, a biosphere that we must preserve for future generations. Will I be back? Absolutely, it is a spiritual experience, a place to see before one dies! ■ Text by NOTES: ¹Vernadsky is the first Ukrainian Steve Jones Antarctic station. It is operated in the field of Upper Atmosphere and Climate Science. Data is collected and analyzed in several scientific disciplines: ionospheres, magnetospheres, geomagnetism, meteor- ology, glaciology and ozone research. Several of these data sets are the longest continuous runs in Antarctica. According to the Memorandum of Understanding between the UAC and the BAS, Ukrainian scientists will continue and supply BAS and buy all science results of the long-term measurements of total ozone layers, magnetic, meteor and ionosonde data. Michael AW is an internationally published author and photographer. He is a Fellow of the Explorer Club in New York and a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. He is also Ambassador for Chinstrap penguins (below) battle the the surf Seacam. For more information, visit: www. on their way feed on fish, squid and krill up to MichaelAW.com ■ 50 miles off shore. RIGHT: Map of Antarctica Southern Ocean South Orkney Islands Queen Maud Weddell Land Sea ice Graham shelf Land

South Pole

Amundsen Sea ice shelf

Wilkes Land Ross Victoria Sea Land Southern Ocean Views of icebergs from under and over the water’s surface

36 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Huge lakes and rivers lie hidden under Antarctic ice sheet

RADARSAT dataset of Antarctica, another view of Lake Vostok An artist’s cross- NASA/GOddard SPaCE FLigHT CENTEr SCiENTifiC VisuaLiZaTiON STudiO section of Lake aNd CaNadiaN SPaCE AgENCy, RADARSAT INTErNaTiONaL INC. Vostok, the largest known subglacial lake in Antarctica. Liquid when talking about the move- water is thought to take thousands ment around glaciers, which of years to pass tend to move very slowly. But through the lake, one lake that measured about which is the size 30 by 10 kilometres caused a of North America’s 10-metre change in elevation Lake Ontario at the surface when it drained over a period of about 30 NiCOLLE RagEr-FuLLEr / months, Fricker said. NaTiONaL SCiENCE FOuNdaTiON Further research will now be undertaken to survey and monitor the subglacial system and its connection to move- ment of the ice sheet. ■

Lying beneath more than two miles of Antarctic ice, Lake Vostok may be the best- known and largest subglacial lake in the world, but it is not alone down there. Scientists using NASA’s ice cloud and land elevation satellite identified a network of rapidly filling and emptying lakes. More than 145 other lakes trapped under the ice have been iden- tified. Until now, however, none have approached Vostok’s size or depth.

Lasers beamed from space have before in Antarctica, but research- Scripps Oceanography, said: “We detected what researchers have ers from Scripps Institution of didn’t realise that the water under long suspected: big sloshing lakes Oceanography at the University of these ice streams was moving in of water underneath Antarctic California found a system of fast- such large quantities, and on such ice. flowing rivers and reservoirs under- short time scales. These lakes, some stretching neath the ice. “We thought these changes took across hundreds of square miles, Scripps says it seems the rivers place over years and decades, but fill and drain so dramatically that transport the majority of the water we are seeing large changes over the movement can be seen by a from the deep interior of the ice months. The detected motions are satellite looking at the icy surface sheet out to the ice shelves, and astonishing in magnitude, dynamic of the southern continent. ultimately to the ocean. nature and spatial extent.” Glacial lakes have been found Dr Helen Fricker, a glaciologist at “Quick” can be a relative term An artist’s representation of the aquatic system scientists believe is buried beneath the Antarctic ice sheet ZiNa DErETsky / NaTiONaL SCiENCE FOuNdaTiON 37 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Lakes found beneath Antarctic ice Alien species invading Antarctic

sheet could contain unique ecosystems Scientists are calling for action to prevent foreign species from taking hold in Antarctica and wreck- Lake Vostok may be the best- known and largest subglacial ing the continent’s unique ecosystems. lake in the world, but In February “We were op- 2006 scientists from the Lamont- Despite Antarctica’s inhospi- tion of Antarctic habitats by Doherty Earth Observatory erating on the table environment, non-native foreign species: the increased described for the first time the presumption that species introduced by tourists, numbers of people travelling size, depth and origin of two ice- nothing’s there” scientists and explorers are to the continent and climate bound lakes referred to as 90ºE gaining a foothold. More than change. and Sovetskaya for the longitude —NASA scientist 26,000 international tourists of one and the Russian research Robert Bindschadler visit Antarctica each year and Visitor growth station coincidentally built above numbers grow by the thousand “There are more and more the other. The scientists’ findings each season. people going to Antarctica, also indicate that, as suspected “Antarctica has long been and we know that people and with Lake Vostok, an exotic eco- considered as an isolated ships and planes carry plant system may still be thriving in the continent with a harsh environ- seeds and other non-native icy waters 35 million years after ment. So the general percep- species,” Gilbert explained. being sealed off from the surface. tion has been that we don’t “The Antarctic Peninsula A NASA team was surprised need to worry about non- region is warming more quickly when it lowered a video cam- native species. We know better than anywhere else on the era to get the first long look at The Lyssianasid Amphipod is not a shrimp, just a distant relative that looks like one now,” Dr Niel Gilbert, environ- planet. Those species capable the underbelly of the ice sheet mental manager at Antarctica of surviving in polar climates in Antarctica, and a shrimp-like from open water. not reach the sea floor and very New Zealand, told BBC are more likely to survive in a creature went swimming by and The camera was lowered nearly little else was seen—just the deep News. less harsh climate.” ■ then parked itself on the camera’s a full kilometer down, but it did blackness of the water sub-ice According cable. Scientists also pulled environment. An additional bio- to Gilbert, up a tentacle they believe logical tease appeared as the two princi- came from a foot-long jel- camera was reeled back in—not pal factors lyfish. on the monitor, but on the cable are facili- Stacy Kim of Moss Land- itself. A tentacle was noticed at- tating ing Marine Laboratory was tached to the cable as it returned colonisa- the first biologist to see the to the surface. video and immediately rec- The video is likely to inspire ognized it as a Lyssianasid experts to rethink what they know amphipod. about life in harsh environments. It was about And it has scientists musing that three inches if shrimp-like creatures can frolic long and Kim below 600 feet of Antarctic ice concluded in subfreezing dark water, what that this about other hostile places? What meant there about Europa, a frozen moon of was quite Jupiter? ■ an extensive biological community The great spider crab, Hyas araneus, is a under the species of crab found in Atlantic waters ice—even so and the North Sea, usually below the far (20 miles tidal zone. In 2003 it was discovered in this case) around the Antarctic Peninsula appar- Bright coral beneath the ice — click to play video ently transported by human agency

38 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED How Penguins and Seals Survive Deep Dives at UCSD of O ceanograph y K athi P onganis , cripps S I nstitution

Jessica Meir Her recent doctoral dissertation than 457 meters (1,500 feet) for guin’s impressive 18-minute dive, its the blood, documenting the rate hanced oxygen stores, other physi- from Scripps focused on the diving physiology the emperor penguin, and almost heart rate decreased to as low as and extent of oxygen depletion ological responses like reduced of some of the most accomplished 1,524 meters (5,000 feet!) for the three beats per minute, with a rate during the dive and providing us heart rates, and factors such as Institution of diving animals: emperor penguins elephant seal. It is well-document- of six beats per minute lasting for with knowledge of how these ani- swimming styles and their hydrody- Oceanography and elephant seals. Her work, ed that animals that can dive well over five minutes during the dive. mals manage their oxygen stores. namic body shape—these animals O CE a NO gra PH y went to extreme funded by the National Science have enhanced oxygen-storage As heart rate is a very good indica- Both emperor penguins and are well-adapted to flourish in un- environments Foundation (NSF), has revealed capability in their bodies, a feat tor of how much oxygen is utilized, elephant seals can tolerate excep- derwater environ- extraordinary physiological accomplished by increased blood decreased heart rates during dives tionally low levels of oxygen in their ments. ■ JE ssi C a ME ir , SC ri PP s IN s T i u ON O f to learn how responses and adaptations that volumes and higher levels of correspond to conservation of oxy- blood, far below the limits of birds and mam- contribute to the diving abilities of hemoglobin and myoglobin—the gen, enabling the animals to dive humans and other animals. This mals thrive in these animals. proteins that carry oxygen in the for a longer time. assists them conditions that blood and muscle. in manag- A two-hour dive Exceptional tolerance ing oxygen humans cannot Emperor penguins can dive for Three beats per minute To provide a direct look at oxygen efficiently and tolerate. almost 30 minutes on a single For example, one study revealed depletion, Meir also measured the contributes to breath, and the record dive of a that diving emperor penguins levels of oxygen in the blood dur- their ability to northern elephant seal is almost have heart rates significantly lower ing the dive using an oxygen elec- dive and obtain two hours. Both species can also than that of their heart rates at trode. This electrode continuously food. Combined dive to great depths—greater rest. During one emperor pen- measured the amount of oxygen in with their en-

39 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED The opening of a new frontier Spitsbergen 80°north In 2007, Norwegian dive operator, Strømsholmen, launched another spec- tactular diving experience—liveaboard cruises to Svalbard (Spitsbergen), Norway’s northernmost outpost in the high Arctic. The exclusive trips, which are only con- Widjefjorden, on the way to Hinlopen ducted in August, offer the guests unparal- and Gyldenoeyane. Next, are different leled opportunities to dive close to icebergs, locations around Nordaustlandet before snorkel with belugas and possibly encounter moving on to Sjuoeyane and returning big whales such as the bluewhale, narwhas, back to Woodfjorden. From Woodfjorden bowhead, fin and seiwhale as well as the there’s a return back to Ny-Aalesund and Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, located about midway between always enchanting humpbacks. Itiniaries Longyearbyen. During this leg of the trip, sev- mainland Norway and the North Pole. Spitsbergen is the largest island, start at Longyearbyen and move out- eral stops are made for both diving and top- followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The administrative center is side Prins Karls Forland to Ny-Aalesundal; side adventures. www.stromsholmen.no ■ Longyearbyen, and other settlements, in addition to research outposts, then they onto to Danskoeya, Moffen, are the Russian mining community of Barentsburg, the research commu- nity of Ny-Ålesund and the mining outpost of Sveagruva. The archipelago The 90-foot M/S Sula is administrated by the governor of Svalbard is certified to carry 12 guests who can be accomodated in two cabins with four beds, five cabins wih two beds and one cabin with three beds. The cabins have upper and lower beds except one cabin. There is one lounge with sitting areas, room for diving-equipment, space for drying clothes and suits, washing machine and tumble dryer. There are three toilets and two showers onboard. All cabins have a wash basin, warm and cold water, and 220V electricity

40 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Greenland Realm of Arctic Ice

Text and photos by Morten Beier

41 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED RIGHT TO LEFT: The Greenlandic landscape; Soft coral and polyps; travel Bleached whale bones Greenland Recently, I had the I‘d dived several times before in where we often went into pleasure of joining a the Arctic waters of Greenland, unchartered territories, was but it would be very interesting no joke, and sailing without a team of media produc- to witness the making of a film sonar was an absolute no-go. tion professionals on a on that very topic. After lunch in the newly trip to Greenland—a The NDR crew and I met Sara opened café in Hotel Sisimiut, German crew from Nord Lindbæk, the photographer, in we said hello to the chopped- Kangerlussuaq Airport (don’t try off heads of two walrusses at Deutscher Rundfunk to pronounce it without local the bulwark, as we went on (NDR—North German guidance). Sara had already board the boat, VEGA—traces Television) working on an spent some days in the snow, of wildlife... for Sara. underwater ‘road movie’ taking pictures of things she didn’t intend to... that’s how it and a wildlife photog- goes, but the results were stun- rapher from Denmark. ning! By the way, the rest of the The adventure started in crew were Thomas (editor and cameraman), Wolfgang (cam- Sisimiut just north of the eraman), Andreas (topside polar circle and finished cameraman) and Ulrich (cam- in a load of ice cubes eraman). up north somewhere in Arriving in Sisimiut, we found out that the sonar system had Disco Bay. given up a few hours earlier. Sailing in Greenlandic waters,

side we had a very nice dinner— reindeer hunted by the brother Skeleton of our skip- per. Wow! shrimp Happy meat! Luckily, Borgin on the next Borgin is the wreck of a wooden couple of schooner that caught fire and dives at went down in 1954 while the crew Borgin were having a party on shore. The vis- wreck lies in a natural harbour well-protected from the sometimes very harsh, icey ibility environment. was a lot Quite a bad dive this first one... better, and disappointing visibility probably the crew started to caused by melt-water dragging film, getting great shots sediment from the fjords and algae both inside and outside the producing rays of the midnight sun. wreck of the Borgin. Topside, Hoped this would not be the situ- as the sun illuminated the ation on all our dives. On top of ice-covered mountains, this, the anchor chain was stuck the NDR guys shot a lot on one of the masts. I guessed that of video of the boat—us someone had to liberate the ship throwing anchor, sailing and our vessel from each other and throwing anchor... the next morning. But on the good

42 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED A village in Greenland (left); Close-up of uniden- tified fish in Greenlandic travel waters (below) Greenland village as if abandoned. With to start the daily grind. Back in Royal Greenland is the big- 600 inhabitants, this village was the harbour, NDR got an inter- gest company in Greenland, one of the largest settlements view with an old ex-fisherman. employing close to 3 percent in Greenland. Photographer, Thomas wanted to know about of the workforce, thus having a Sara, clicked off a shot of a the climate change and how major influence on Greenlandic polar bear with skin flapping like it affected a fisherman’s life, society. laundry in the breeze. Still no but this old geezer only wanted people. to talk about the closing of Capital of whaling But then the sun came out. the local Royal Greenland fish We wanted to find the whale First, children, and then, the factory and the tough times graveyard near Aasiaat, and rest trickled out of their homes ahead. after a bit of poking around

A few days on land tographers—maybe due to bad ing towards the light. Thomas, the Travelling Greenland underwater experiences, but after a while, most editor, agreed, euphoric after his is fantastic, but don’t forget to people seemed friendly enough. dive deep into the kelp forest. “come to the topside, Luke”. The There were lumpsucker, scorpion- film crew spent a few days shoot- Nature dives fish, nudibranchs and ghost shrimps. ing footage back in Sisimiut—the Just outside Sisimiut, we continued A bit north of Isortoq Fjord, church, the view, the landing dash diving at Lighthouse Island, and we sailed into a turquoise cove, of seven aircrafts, life from the har- yes, there was a lighthouse, plus anchoring for the night between bour and Tele Island, where traces loads of macro life—nudibranchs, the carcass of an unlucky freighter of the Saqqaq culture going back anemones, amphipoda, hydroids, and a lonely hunting shack. Dinner some 4,500 years can be seen. kelp, fishes and sea cucumbers was Skipper Bo’s special seafood We even found some traditional dressed in vivid red. Unfortunately, chowder—excellent for the waist- graves a few hundred years old, there were no wolffish this time. line, using just two liters of cream. the crouching corpses staring out We cooked out on the open sea, to sea. a challenge for my stomach stand- The settlement visit Sara and I continued out to the ing below deck chopping dead pig After a long trawl up the coast find- edge of town, to the area of the and onions. But dinner was served ing only icebergs too small or too dogs. This is where all the towns without any unexpected addi- unstable for diving, our moods were folk kennel their hunting and sled- tions to the recipe. Later that night not the best. ding dogs. When you smell and (don’t forget that midnight sun), we Kangatsiaaq might as well have hear it, you understand why it’s on were going to dive Mussel Island been the end of the world. There the edge of town. It seemed that where the Isortoq Fjord ends. I really were no people, but there were hunters and people with sled dogs loved this place, steep slopes, life snowmobiles, sleds and the detri- were not all that keen on pho- and the jungle of giant kelp sway- tus of life scattered through the

43 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Greenland

Neon lights in the Greenlandic night sky reflected in icy waters Greenlandic sled dogs (left); Dive boat mooring off shore

in the dingy, I found it. On land, gone into town with Bo Icebergs million tons of inland ice shears get, we had to give up. Ilulissat— under water, trapped in the grip as a tourist guide to tell And now for from the glacier to crash into the so close and yet so far. of ice, the bleached bones of the history of this former something sea. Well, it used to. Nowadays, In order to keep on schedule, these once majestic leviathans whaling capital. In the completely the glacier moves so fast, prob- we had to send the crew and bared pale witness to the local 18th century, Dutch whal- different. I had ably due to global warming, Sara on a plane from Aasiaat to lunch. ers had big business in this been looking and splinters on land, resulting in Ilulissat. After two hours max in Appropriately, this being Fox area. Bo sure knew what forward to smaller icebergs in much greater dreamland, we reached Aasiaat Island, there was a polar fox run- he was talking about hav- showing the TV quantities. just in time to catch their plane ning around on the island. Sara ing lived his whole life in crew this, and While John Travolta is very cool, with the 170 kilos of overweight in went ashore to get acquainted. Greenland, always sailing what a great Disco Bay was frozen. Ice, ice, the tiny Dash 7 aircraft. In a way, We overnighted in Aasiaat and working at sea. At feeling it was ice. I had never seen anything it illustrated the theme of the pro- harbour, and the following morn- 38, he was owner of two to dive an ice- like it. I’m glad we were sailing duction—the greatness of nature, ing, I tried to get Sara back to boats taking care of berg. It’s not with Bo who was cautious but not the unpredictability of it and how Fox Island in the dingy. It’s a short everything from sonar the easiest of adverse to giving it a go through small we are in the great wild. trip, but the ice was just too solid. mapping, sales and ser- dives with so the complicated bits. And Two days later, I met the crew There was no way we could make vice of boat engines to many precau- Andreas (the topside shooter) was and Sara in Kangerlussuaq. it in the dingy. charter tours and both tions and safe- also game. Far away from home They had gotten all that they A friendly guy in the harbour commercial and rec- ty procedures, and his wife, he twisted our arms had wanted—more interviews offered to help. Alas, we didn’t reational diving—a good but when with a gin and tonic or two cel- and pictures of the ice fiord. have a common language, so character for the screen. lords of the sea. I’m sure I caught you’re down there listening to the ebrating his wedding anniversary. Incidentally, I passed the Danish after the customary misunder- We decided to have a proper a faint echo of their glorious air escaping the ice and hearing, We toasted him in the midnight Crown Prince Frederic in Sisimiut standing and two hours in an look at the whale bones, and as songs. But here they were. There even feeling, the crackling from sun. Airport, where many of the open boat getting colder and we glided through the skeletons, I was a massive skull of a fin whale this monstrous frozen fortress, you citizens were waving flags and colder on a directionless sightsee- was tense with melancholy think- jewelled with sea urchins and feel small, very small. Ah, well shouting welcoming words to him. ing detour... well, one can guess. ing of how beautiful they must cucumbers. Ilulissat is the place for icebergs. So, after six hours in the ice and Well, well... anything can happen Meanwhile the TV crew had have been, these huge intelligent Every day between 40 and 100 marginal progress towards the tar- in Greenland. ■

44 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED History & Development The Russian Arctic The Arctic (from the Greek “αρκτικός”, which means “northern”) is the northern Text prepared by Svetlana polar region of our planet, which includes the northern reaches of the Eurasian Murashkina. Pictures by and North American continents and nearly the whole Arctic Ocean with all its Vladimir Grishenko islands (excluding the Norwegian islands) as well as joining parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Arctic covers the arctic geographical belt and part of Fauna the sub-arctic belt. Its area is about 25 million sq km. Of that amount, 10 million Arctic fauna is not very diverse— northern deer and musk-ox. Then, is occupied by land and about 15 millionRealm sq km ofis water Arctic surface. Ice The Arctic land there are those of smaller size—the areas are comprised of parts of the Russian territory (the northern districts of the arctic foxes, lemmings, hares, ground Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Tumen regions, Krasnoyarski krai, Saha Yakutia squirrels and shrews as well as white republic and the Magadan region), and Canada (the Yukon and northwestern owls, crows and ivory gulls. Polar seas host marine animals like seal, territories, Quebec and Newfoundland), as well as possessions of the United walrus and white whale. Many of the States (Alaska), Denmark (Greenland) and Norway (Spitsbergen). species are included in the Red Book of protected species. The symbol of the Arctic—the polar bear—is experiencing difficulties nowadays, resulting from global warming and reduction of sea ice. Bears, which usually spend a lot of time on drifting ice, have to cover vast distances, often by swimming, in search of food. The media often reports cases of bears (known to be good swimmers) not able to succeed in covering marathon distances and consequently drowning. History of human settlements According to accepted official sources, the first human settlements originated in the Arctic about ten thousand years before our era—the Proto-eskimo culture in the Far East’s of the cold northern seas, providing balloon. And then, one must survive northern territories. Some sources fully for themselves by taking from like a hero of legend, and return, declare that around 30–15 thousand environment and staying in harmony preferably, a winner. years BC, Arctic climate was warm with it. In modern times, the image Not all manage to return. Reports and mild. It was a very place where of the Arctic is nearly always and and expedition stories are rich with the motherland of the Russian everywhere severe ice desert, notes like “perished ... could not civilization was situated—Hyperborea which one must reach on foot, with reach ... were missing ... did not (directly beyond the Boreas, which sled dogs, or on skies, or in koches return”. Remains of many who were means “northern wind”). (Russian word for a special boat lost in the white desert were frozen, This group and other peoples lived used in the region), via ice-breaker, and their best lot was to become for thousands years on the shores helicopter, plane, dirigible or part of a glacier. The history of Arctic THIS PAGE: Historic photos of Russian scientists and explorers in action on and under the ice of the Arctic 45 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Russian Arctic expeditions is full of tragedies the seas of the Arctic Ocean— Zemlia straights to the port and white spots. Even Robert Barents, Kara, Laptev, Eastern of Providenie is 5610km; the Piri’s discovery of the North Pole Siberian, Chukchi and Bering length of navigable river in 1909 sometimes was doubted. seas—that connect European ways flowing into the NSR Geographical names in the and far eastern Russian ports is 37,000km. But one must Arctic are mostly after explorers as well as the mouths of the consider the difficulties in and regal persons such as navigable rivers in Siberia and shipping in high latitudes: long Anzy, Barents, Bering, Vilkitskii, the united transport system. and severe winters, and nearly Wrangel, De Long, Laptev, The advantages of the NSR no summer; and ice that does Nordensheld, Cheluskin, Frantz- are evident: the route is twice not melt completely even Joseph, George, Alexandra and as short as the other sea routes during the warmest months. Queen Elizabeth. from Europe to the Far East. Ships can go through these ice Compare the distances from St. bodies only with the assistance The Northern Sea Route Petersburg to Vladivostok along The Northern Sea Route (NSR) the NSR, which is 14,289km; from played an important role in St.Petersburg to Vladivostok the development of the Soviet via the Suez channel, which is Arctic and the conception 23,200km; and around the Cape of exploration, management of Good Hope, which is 29,400 and provision for this navigable km. waterway. It travels along the The length of the main northern shores of Russia via iceway of the NSR from Novaya

existence of a sea way from the regular because of the fact that the NSR Polar ocean to the Pacific. was not properly equipped enough. Further contribution to this Overcoming obstacles has always been knowledge were made by two a part of Polar research and seamanship— Kamchatka expeditions under and of the Russian people. In our country, the leadership of Vitus Bering; this characteristic especially flourished after the high-latitude expedition the Great October socialist revolution of of ice-breakers. lead by Vasili Chichagov; the 1917, and was a key factor in the planning The history of the Northern Sea Route north-eastern expedition by Joseph Billings of the development of the Northern Sea starts with first Pomor voyages in the 11th and Gavrila Sarichev; the Yst-Yana and Route, which was declared an urgent and 12th centuries, and the idea of using Kolyma expeditions led by Peter Anzy and economic task. Since 1921, Soviet Kara this route—before the beginning of the 20th Ferdinand Wrangel; and the expedition expeditions were successfully carried out, century, it was called North-Eastern Sea to Novaya Zemlia by Fedor Litke, Peter and since 1923, Kolyma voyages prepared Pass—was expressed by Russian diplomat, Pakhtusov and August Tsivolko. Results of the background for the opening of regular Dimitri Gerasimov, in 1525. these research trips predetermined the navigation along the entire Northern Sea Siberian Cossacks and “trade people” question of the possibility of navigation Route. developed the sea shore and Arctic along the Northern Sea Route. In 1932, an expedition on the ice-breaker navigation. They sailed along the whole Since 1877, episodic expeditions to the type ship A.Sibiriakov, under the leadership Siberian shore with sea sail boats called Kara Sea were conducted with the aim of Otto Schmidt, was the first to cover “koch”. In 1648, the sea voyage of Yakut of exporting Siberian agricultural products the whole way from Arkhangelsk to the Cossack Semen Deznev and partners and mineral riches via the Kara Sea to the Bering Strait in one navigation trip, without from the mouth of the Kolyma River to world market. Since 1911, one ship sailed wintering, and proved the real possibility the Anadir River proved that Eurasia and annually from Kolyma to Vladivostok. But of NSR exploitation. The Tcheluskin (1933) America were separate. It also proved the these Kolyma voyages did not become and Litke (1934) voyages once again

THIS PAGE: Historiical photographs of Russian research activities in the Arctic including an aerial photo (above) of a research station on drifting ice 46 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Russian Arctic

THIS PAGE: Historical photographs of Russian scientists working in the Arctic

confirmed that NSR was prepared for hand, the main northern transport Drifting ice stations cargo voyages, which began in 1935. waterway is experiencing a serious North Pole In 1932, the agency, Glavsevmorputi— crisis because of the lack of funding for (NP-1 to NP-36). Chief Administration of the Northern the fleet of the main carriers that work In Russia, the abbreviation Sea Route—was organized. Its task was above the Polar circle. The Northern for the North Pole is to finally establish the route from White and Murmansk Sea steamship lines have SP (Severnyi Polius). Sea to the Bering Strait, equip this route, become too aged; there is a lack of ice- Development of the maintain it in operating condition and breakers; the technical state of the port Northern Sea Route provide safe shipping navigation along household is not adequate as well as and forecast of this way. the hydrographical navigation systems, meteorological and ice In the following years, the agency hydro-meteorological service and conditions demanded the maintained works for the creation of navigation routes, etc. network of polar stations. a special ice-breaker and cargo fleet, On the other hand are excessive It was evident that the carried out hydrographic and aviation port fees (forced fees for dredging, need for Arctic navigation supply of arctic navigations as well as construction and reconstruction of and aviation demanded geologic, hydrologic, meteorological mooring places passed onto ship the study of geophysical and geographical research. The Arctic owners and businesses). There is also phenomena including some Arctic islands. That’s why the whole Center of the Russian Federation: ports of Igarka, Dikson, Pevek and considerable warming (the highest on the planet’s magnetic field, ionosphere Arctic basin, with an area of 5-6 million Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Providenia were constructed during the record taking place during the last four and polar lights. So far, regular hydro- square kilometers, has remained an (AARI) of the Russian Federal Service for 1930’s and 40’s. years). There are doubts regarding the meteorological observations of the uncharted “white spot”. Hydrometeorology and Environmental The state of the Northern Sea Route necessity of ice-breaker pilotage, at least Arctic Ocean have been made by a rare The Arctic scientific research Monitoring—was organized in 1920. At in modern times is ambiguous. On one during most favorable summer time. chain of polar stations on shore and on institution—now the State Scientific that time, there was already the intention

47 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Russian Arctic

THIS PAGE: Historical photographs of polar bear cubs, Arctic fox and aquanauts work- ing under and over the ice in the Russian Arctic

to explore the Arctic with the February 1939 and was taken off included several parties, which assistance of drifting stations and to the ice-breaker ships. in turn, consisted of small aviation. This idea was in great Ivan Papanin, Peter Shirshov, groups of people. From 1948 harmony with the time of heroism Eugene Fedorov and Ernst Krenkel to the 1950’s, during high- and the development of aviation. became all time heroes. But it latitude aviation expeditions So in 1936, the Soviet government was evident that only one station, conducting vast geophysical and declared a special initiative limited by the route of forced drift, oceanographical research on to create research stations on was unable to research, during the immense territory of the Arctic drifting ice. a short period of time, the vast Basin, important geographical In the year after the special territory of the Central Arctic. discoveries of the 20th century expedition of the Glavsevmorputi The idea of operative aviation were made including the led by Otto Schmidt, was the landings—from several hours Lomonosov, Mendeleev and organization of drifting scientific- to several days—on ice flows, Gakkel Ridges. The main features research station North Pole-1 was carried out. In March of of the underwater topography of started; it was the first one in the the following year’s expedition the Arctic Basin were studied. history of polar research. On 21 on four-engine plane USSR The disadvantages of these May 1937, the first heavy plane, N-169 made three landings on expedition methods were the TB-3, piloted by polar aviator, the drifting ice in the district short observation time and short Mikhael Vodopianov, landed of the pole of inaccessibility, season (April – May). Regular on floating ice in the North Pole and geophysical and year-round observations as well as district. oceanographical works were permanent ice patrols along the The first soviet drifting station made. Thus, started broad scale Northern Sea Route were needed. the northeast of Wrangel Island. all of this research, the decision of the Arctic Basin were worked for nine months and scientific research in the Central That’s why in April 1950, according After a year, when the station to organize year-round working recommenced. In March-May, covered about 2,599 kilometers Arctic. to the Soviet government decree, was free of ice, it immediately scientific-research stations on complex explorations on the vast from the North Pole to the These works, cut short by of the drifting scientific research moved 640km to the north, drifting ice was made. area were conducted by the six southern part of the Greenland the World War II, were renewed station NP-2 was organized on covering more than 2,500km via a In 1954, after a three-year high-latitude aviation expeditions, Sea, where it finished work on 19 in 1948. Every expedition drifting ice-flows about 600km to rather sinuous drift trajectory. After break, works for the exploration “Sever-6”. That expedition set

48 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Russian Arctic up two drifting stations NP-3 and NP-4. made; 3,366 deep hydrological stations, Since that year and up until April 1991, which determined temperature and two drifting stations worked permanently salinity on standard horizons, were set; on the floating Arctic ice, conducting tens thousands of samples were taken; annual high-latitude expeditions. and various analysis were made. A total Meteorological data, upper atmospheric of 727 ground samplings were made; conditions, state of water and ocean 47,070 ocean depth measurements were ice were transmitted regularly to the recorded; and 32,859 aero-sondes were mainland. launched. During the 1980’s, technical Aside from the ‘standard’ program, a equipment of the expeditions changed. large amount of special studies in heat They became more complex: polar exchange between the ocean and the oceanography, meteorology, ice- atmosphere were made. In addition, related investigation, geophysics and the fine structure of oceanic waters was environmental protection. Scientific- observed, and examinations were made research drifting stations worked of the underwater relief of sea ice. Historic photo shows typical dive gear used by Russian researchers in their dives below the ice of the Arctic successfully untill 15 June 1991, when the After a 12-year break, the national current station NP-31 was shut down. flag of Russia was again hoisted in the Geophysical Year (1957-1958). The DAMOCLES and Danish. The frontiers of these On the eve of the 65th anniversary Central Arctic on 26 April 2003 on the first IPYs and IGY were major initiatives that The DAMOCLES project started in 2006 sectors meet at the North Pole, which is of the NP stations, AARI—where Russian drifting station, NP-32. The aim resulted in significant new insights into in the Arctic Ocean. DAMOCLES— considered the internationally accepted coordination and a major part of of the station was to do research and global processes and led to decades of Developing Arctic Modeling and neutral point. research preparations were made— record weather observations. One of the invaluable polar research. But since that Observing Capabilities for Long-term These sectors are not regarded as full prepared statistics from the first research expedition tasks was to study climate time, many changes have taken place— Environmental Studies—is a modern value national territories (though in the hands. During the period from 21 May changing processes. During the ten as people say, much water has flowed... European program and the main input of USSR, the maps had dotted lines from the 1937 to 25 June 1991, there were 88 shift months, the station drifted 2,750 km. Now, and ice has melted. Hence, came the the EC to the International Polar Year. country’s borders to the North Pole, thus changes of drifting station teams. The NP-36 is in operation. time to focus efforts on the polar regions Within its framework, a great number marking our Arctic zone, according to total duration of NP drift was 29,726 days; again. Due to the Russian initiative, the of experts in Arctic Ocean studies are the Government Decree in 1926). ice flows covered the distance of 169,654 International Polar Year (IPY) new IPY—the first one in the the 21st united, including Russia, of course— Recently, Denmark appealed to the km; average drift speed was 71km per The year 2007 marked the 125th century—was organized. including the Arctic and Antarctic international court of the United Nations 24 hours; and 2,009 persons took part in anniversary of the First International Polar The concept of the International Polar Research Institute in St. Petersburg, the and other international legislative bodies year-long research cycles. Year (1882-1883), the 75th anniversary of Year 2007-2008 involves an international Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, the with documents in which it claims During the whole period, 211,383 the Second Polar Year (1932-1933) and program of coordinated, interdisciplinary Russian Academy of Science in Moscow that the North Pole must be included regular meteorological observations were the 50th anniversary of the International scientific research and observations and some others. Complex expeditions into Denmark’s territory. Territorial in the Earth’s polar regions to explore took place; various research studies were demarcation in the Arctic will cause new scientific frontiers, to deepen our completed; data are being processed problems. The main reason is resources: understanding of polar processes and today and forecasts are being made. fisheries—more importantly—oil and gas their global linkages, to increase our Exciting and useful conclusions are reserves on the continental shelf, which ability to detect changes, to attract and expected. are not yet explored. develop the next generation of polar Russia is interested in being present scientists, engineers and logistics experts, To whom belongs the Arctic? in the Arctic for scientific, economical and to capture the interest of school Unlike the Antarctic—which, according and strategic reasons. These include children, the public and decision-makers. to the formal international agreements, meteorological observations from the The official period of the IPY was from is now a designated “natural reserve “weather kitchen”; the shortest transpolar 1 March 2007 until 1 March 2009. This devoted to peace and science”—the aviation routes, connecting Europe period allowed observations during every Arctic today looks like to become the with USA and Japan; ice conditions season and the possibility of two summer arena of initial, and probably, very sharp information for the ships, going along field sessions in each polar region. disputes among the countries whose Barents and Kara seas along the Northern The geographic focus extended over territories lie adjacent to the Arctic sea route. In the Arctic lies about 16 latitudes from approximately 60 degrees Ocean. In these modern times, the thousand of the state frontiers of the to the pole, both north and south. Arctic is divided into five sectors: Russian, Russian Federation. ■ American (USA), Canadian, Norwegian Image from historical archives of the Russian Arctic 49 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Text by Svetlana Murashkina with Vladimir Grishenko Diving in the Central Arctic Every generation makes its own discoveries. And sometimes people forget that these discover- ies were made already by somebody else before them. That’s why, when another heroic dive in the Arctic—and especially one at the North Pole—is announced, the word “first” must be treated very carefully.

“…One must stress, on one hand, that the extremely low temperatures of sea water and air, as well as the constant presence of young ice cover, make rather difficult the very maintenance and expansion of underwater research in Arctic waters. Nevertheless, up to the present moment, for example, underwater research for various programs were made with about 20 expeditions carried out by the USSR, USA and Canada.” —from the Manual for methodics and management for underwater research in the Arctic, compiled by V.D. Grishenko, Leningrad. Gidrometeoisdat, 1984

THIS PAGE: Russian divers study the surface of the ice under the water

It is May 2006. Summer has come to St. about diving and shooting photogra- entists are carrying out on the drifting sta- Petersburg, and it is difficult to imagine phy. Grishenko shows us old documen- tion, watching complicated processes of how any person would volunteer for taries, transferred to modern video, of atmosphere-ice-ocean interaction.” nearly a whole year to leave the city for Antarctica, the Arctic and the North Pole. Grishenko told us that he did not get the place were the polar night lasts for any special feeling when he did that half a year; where in winter, frost exceeds Diving the North Pole North Pole dive. The Arctic is the Arctic, -50°C with heavy winds; where there is The music in the film is typical for those he said. It is difficult to impress Grishenko; no single blade of grass or a green leaf… years, heroic. The diver goes to the depths he has sailed and dived so many, many Admiration and amusement overwhelmes under the ice. We hear his regular breath- places before. me from the first words I hear, strength- ing. It is a movie, of course, but a docu- How did it happen? Did the job seek ening and transfering sustained pride in mentary, too. A serious and proud narra- the person, or vice versa? Evidently, the me for the pioneers of the 1970’s, living tor’s voice of the film declares: “On the process was mutual. Grishenko first went and working on drifting stations, doing 20th of April 1967, the group of scientists underwater when he was 19. During research studies under the ice in the from the Arctic and Antarctic Research regular military service with the Black Central Arctic. Institution made the dive at the point of Sea Fleet, he participated in rescue and We are visiting polar researcher, the North Pole.” In the next scene, on commercial diving from the 1950’s on. Vladimir Dimitrievich Grishenko, in his com- the surface, the group leader and can- After army service, he entered the School mon St. Petersburg apartment. There are didate of geographical science, Valdimir of Hydrometeorology (“Hydromet”) in no polar bear skins on the floor, but lots Grishenko, says, smiling: “We have beards Leningrad. His profession became ocea- of pictures—pictures of all white, spar- for increased buoyancy. Our work is part nography. kling snow and ice. We listen to his stories of a vast complex research study that sci- The Laboratory of Underwater Research

50 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED THIS PAGE: Historic photos of researchers prepairing for ice feature diving in the Central Arctic Central Arctic biology. When the ice flows broke, stations were evacu- ated and reestablished in a different location. On average, during the year-long residency of the NP station, 600 to 650 meas- urements of ocean depth were made; 3,500 to 3,900 meteorological observations were recorded; 600 to 650 launches of radio-sondes were conducted; and 1,200 to 1,300 temperature meas- urements and samples of sea ice for chemical analy- sis were taken. In addition, magnetic, ionospheric, ice and other observations were documented. This data was regularly transmitted to research centers. If a station drifted via the North Pole region to the strait between Spitsbergen and Greenland (two to three years after its drift had begun), it was evacuated, was organized within the department of stration to the whole world—long-term and a new one was estab- oceanography. Students went diving in research stations on floating ice, where lished in the initial region. If the station got the Kaspian, Black and Baltic Seas. That’s a big percentage of the time and often into so-called anti-cyclonic round drift— why when Grishenko began working in the heroic efforts were spent just surviving. that’s the counter-clockwise circulation of Arctic and Antarctic Research Institution Projects like these were not carried out ice in the ocean sector close to the north (AARI), he already possessed reliable by any other country. Americans con- of Greenland, the Canadian Arctic archi- underwater experience. That’s also why sidered drifting stations a Russian know- pelago and Alaska—it was kept operation- he was directed to complete the most how, like matreshka-dolls or drinking tea al until Russian polar aviation could reach important dives. The backbone of the “vprikysku” (having tea without sugar, and it. underwater group on the drifting ice was biting a piece of sugar at the same time). Usually, these stations drifted away from comprised of four persons, and two of Back then, Americans did not understand Soviet shores for 1,500 to 1,800km and them, including Grishenko, received their how (and for what purpose) people could operated for three to four years. After that, underwater education at “Hydromet”. live under such extreme conditions. they were evacuated. The Soviet North Pole, or NP, stations NP stations were set up with the assist- On the drifting ice (in Russian, SP, or Severni Polus, stations) ance of airplanes, usually in April-May, and “Chances are always against the explorer were drifting research stations established with icebreakers in October- November. in the Arctic,” said the American polar on drifting ice in the deepest parts of the Average live-work periods on the sta- explorer, Robert Piri, who spent 36 years Arctic Ocean. They carried out a program tion was 26 to 28 months (minimum, nine preparing his successful expedition to the of complex year-round research studies months, and maximum, 48 months). North Pole. In the USSR, scientists did not in oceanography, ice-exploration (the NP station crew personnel usually con- agree with that idea—the duty to bend physics and dynamics of ice), meteorol- sisted of two to five oceanographers and nature to the will of the Soviet man, includ- ogy, aerology, geophysics (observation glaciologists; two to six aerologists, mete- ing that of the Arctic. And, for this reason, of the ionosphere and magnetic field), orologists and actinometrists; three to five the Soviet state established—in demon- hydrochemistry, hydrophysics and marine geophysicists and also a doctor; two to

51 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Historic photo of Russian scientists testing equipment and procedures BELOW: Russian polar scientist Vladimir Dimitrievich Grishenko at feature work on the drifting NP station three mechanics; one to two radi- tory, a diver was on the crew of expe- main instrument used to collect data omen and a cook. Aside from these ditions on the Yamal and Vaigach on the underwater relief of the ice, people, temporary research person- ships. If some special works were the shapes of which are so fantasti- nel of around ten to 20 individuals needed, like changing the propeller, cal, they can hardly be described in arrived for short-term observations (of for instance, the diver went underwa- words. Underwater photography in several months) usually in the spring, ter from the deck of the ship. the central Arctic has been produced NP station camps consisted of Later, on station NP-6 (1956-1959), since 1957, when one of the employ- portable living quarters and hous- young men from “Hydrophysin” ers of AARI made a range of obser- ing, research facilities (in houses and (The Hydrophysical Institution of vations of the underwater portion of special semispheric tents), a salon, Sebastopol) dived in old primitive ice-hummock structures. Images were electro and radio stations, meteoradi- gear—green suits with glasses (“They captured with the assistance of a olocator, basic and rescue lofts. The were smart guys... hydrophysicists,” stereo photo-camera; it was placed airstrip was made on a flat surface of said Grishenko)—went into a hydro- under the ice on a special beam and solid ice. logical hole in the ice and were put was remotely operated. On the NP stations, they used Underwater research various camera makes includ- on NP stations ing models by Leningrad (the Grishenko drifted on an NP sta- Russian Leica), Salute, Zenith, tion about ten times. According to Liubitel (amateur cameras), his approximate calculations, he Konvas, Krasnogorsk, Kiev-16э spent five to six years on the ice. and Admira in underwater The first and second times were on housings such as YKP and the station NP-18. This station drifted KPF housing for Zenith cam- for more than two years: from 9 eras. They also made hous- October 1969 to 24 October 1971, ings themselves for a 16mm drifting 1,110km. film camera by Krasnogorsk. Grishenko worked three times Various negative and positive on the station NP-22. It was the black and white and color longest running station. The sta- photo film were used—typical tion went to the Anticyclone Circle for that time. and rotated more than nine years! One drift usually resulted in a It was based on an ice flow 5km whole box of film being shot— long and 2.2km wide, with an ice several hundred rolls, at least. thickness of more than 30 meters. Shooting images while work- Scientists believed that the ice- under an apparatus measuring ice ing was quite common, and was berg was a piece of a glacier, which gradient currents. They did not swim often carried out by a diver. The legs had broken off from the Canadian underwater, but made several dives. of a common tripod were hammered Arctic archipelago, or came from Long, planned underwater dives, into the ice, the camera with three Greenland. It lasted until the last according to Grishenko’s program in axis of rotation was attached, and Soviet station NP-31 closed in July the Central Arctic, were first made by images were taken using a tripod, 1991. Grishenko’s group on station NP-18. with long aperture times. People have always been curious On 1 June 1969, Grishenko received a Shooting cinema was much more about what’s under water, especially postcard from the expedition leader, complicated and demanded a com- under the ice. Even when Russian Romanov, who wrote: “Happy birth- plex crew and lighting. They used the admiral Makarov went to the north day to you, and congratulations on headlights of the airplanes and zinc of Spitsbergen on the ship, Ermak, the first ocean sampling!” batteries. the crew captured pieces of broken Once on station NP-23, research- ice with a winch, turned them upside Underwater photography ers had to participate in the shooting down and examined the bottoms. Photographs were taken, but not of a popular scientific film in color, It is known, that in the Central Arctic for beautiful shots of ice archways. Arctic Above Us (1978), which was basin, if we look at the indepth his- Very often, photography was the about the nature of the Central

52 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Central Arctic featureTHIS PAGE: Some of the diving and underwater photography gear used by the researchers on the drifting NP stations

Arctic, the underwater world and research studies underwater. A cameraman from the Tsentrnauchfilm Studio, Vladlen Kruchkin, and his assistant were on floating ice for the first time, so all and remained free-flowing, or stopped the divers’ technical support was on working altogether. Grishenko’s shift. The group was very coordinated; everything worked well. Life on the ice-flow The only problem was that they had Life and work on the ice-flow was reg- to carry out the underwater research ulated and casual. After about three program as well! months, this very unique life on the ice was regarded as real life, and home Equipment was somewhere far away. Grishenko said that the atmos- “The diver must use the follow- phere on the team was always great. Rascals usually did not stay long; they ing thermal underwear as a set: were driven out immediately. Once a wool pullovers – 2 pieces; wool month, all birthday parties were cele- pantaloons – 2 pieces; wool socks brated—collectively. Celebrities were placed at the head of the table and – 1 pair; fur socks – 1 pair; wool special cakes were made. When it stockings – 1 pair; wool double was time, they had elections with the rest of the Soviet nation; they nomi- the ice and a small table for taking gloves (for three fingers is better) – nated an election committee, etc, as pictures, and drank champagne in 1 pair; foam-rubber hood under- was required. scuba gear, under the ice, of course. One of the important tasks was to When asked about state awards, wear – 1 piece. make an airstrip. In those days, air- Grishenko just says that “there were planes required at least 1.5km of run- some”. In fact, he was awarded the —from the Manual for way. People worked with spades and coveted Soviet order “Znak pocheta methodics and management for “leveled” the surface with explosives. of the USSR”, the Russian order “Znak Explosives were, by the way, later pocheta”, and prestigious med- underwater research in the Arctic forbidden for ecological reasons. One als and badges such as “Honorable compiled by V.D. Grishenko, must admit that in the USSR, if they Polar Man” and “Honored Worker of ever considered ecology, it was in a Hydrometeorological Service”. Leningrad. Gidrometeoisdat, 1984 very special way: drifting stations were Researchers and polar scientists left in the Arctic with all their garbage, know Grishenko through expeditions, However, Grishenko tells us, “it was not fuel and iron refuse. his work for AARI—including more cold.” In August, planes made flights than ten years as Deputy Director for Soviet military diving equipment was around the entire Arctic region; they Science—and his articles and thesis on used, but it was difficult to get, such flew over the station, dropping mail the morphology of ice cover. Divers as the AVM-1 regulators. Common and brooms for the Russian “banya”, know him through his publications in regulators, Ukraine and AVM-5, were or sauna. On New Year’s Eve, the staff Sportsmen-podvodnik and other Soviet not good, said Grishenko; they froze always took a Christmas tree under periodicals. ■

53 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel

Text and photos by Mike Keleher Diving from a cruise ship? How do you enter the water? Must be a heck of a drop if you roll in Cruise Ship Diving backwards! You may have never considered taking a cruise boat vacation as a dive vacation. Taking big white ships the size of aircraft carriers has never gotten much attention as a venue for divers. Yet they are haul- ing and accommodating divers every week to great dive islands in conjunction with their vacation itineraries. Luxury travel on fabulous cruise boats has got to be the most overlooked way to travel to exotic dive locations in tem- perate waters. Travelling on major cruise lines for a dive vacation has got to be the “ultimate” in live aboards! You can book dive trips through the cruise com- pany or make your own arrangements with preferred local operators. It may not have the intimacy of small sailboat or live-aboard trips… but the luxury accommodations, outstanding service, and 900 employees devoted to guaranteeing your comfort and plea- sure can certainly make it a great trip. Almost every time the ship stops for the day to let the other tourists off to collect T-shirts, eat ice cream and get their hair braided by locals, you can go scuba div- ing instead. The whole concept of a “dive vaca- tion” on a major cruise lines may not Try diving on a cruise—the ultimate in live-aboard trips 56 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED THIS PAGE: Cruise ships provide very rea- sonably priced accommodations that allow you to travel in obvious comfort and elegance while you dive a variety of Cruise Diving feature stunning locations in the Caribbean

compute, but they have quietly been elegance. They deliver you on-time to a putting divers in the water every week different island each day, feed you 24 for many years. On a seven day vaca- hours a day, and entertain you at night. tion cruise, the big ships stop at three to With your own cabin stewards, droves of five islands in the Caribbean, Mexico and waiters and over one hundred cooks on Hawaii, and most are prime dive sites. board, they treat you like royalty a week The cruise lines offer excursions directly at a time—what more could you ask for? through their company for SCUBA (to Ah yes, let‘s not overlook the obvious include full equipment rental) and here—if we are around that much warm many other water-related activities like water in a foreign and exotic locale, we snorkeling, SNUBA and an underwater naturally are going to want to dive in it. scooter with a big bubble helmet called Major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Breathing Observation Bubble (BOB). Celebrity, Holland America and Carnival among others, are taking divers to great Benefits dive locations every week of the year For me, the terms “adventure travel” without much notice or fanfare. They are and “diving” usually conjure up thoughts obviously not advertising as traditional like, “Am I going to get a clean place “liveaboards” or “all inclusive resorts” to sleep,” and “I hope I can find some and are not directly competing with such good food along the way”. Traveling operations for divers. However, they do on a major cruise boat pretty much offer a unique and non-traditional way eliminates those worries! Very reason- to get to dive locations in comfort—very ably priced accommodations allow cushy comfort at that! you to travel in obvious comfort and

Features trips at pre-designated islands, may sell done on the ship while it is at sea. They If you have not been on a cruise ship, a limited amount of gear on-board, and then arrange check-out dives with a tra- you may be surprised to find many of have an in-house Dive Master to shep- ditional dive shop on one of the various the large ships have actual “dive shops” herd the “cruise divers” to various pick up islands they visit. On that day, the guests on board (along with the rock climbing sites or in-water excursions. are picked up, taken to the dive shop, walls, in-line skate tracks, surfing wave The larger ships that offer diving excur- complete the in-water portion in the pools and ice skating rinks—yes, ice skat- sions may also offer unique on-board warm blue Caribbean, or off the coast of ing). The on-board dive shop has several certification training for guests who want Hawaii or Mexico...instead of back home functions to benefit guests who wish to to get certified en route to the dives sites. in a rock quarry in the Midwest….or in dive. They arrange excursions for dive The book work and pool work is actually one of the Great Lakes!

57 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Cruise Diving

Dive sites The list of islands and dive sites where scuba excursions are offered are well known in the dive community. The rou- tine cruise boat itineraries hit islands and locations like George Town in Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico, Key West and Fort Lauderdale in Florida, the Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas, Philipsburg in St. Maarten, Montego Bay in Jamaica, San Juan in Puerto Rico, St. Johns in

Antigua, Basseterre in St. Kitts, Castries in St. Lucia, Bridgetown in Barbados, Margarita Island in Venezuela, Willemstad in Curacao, Oranjestad in Aruba and the Hawaiian islands. Hey, those destinations sound pretty familiar! Cruise lines arrive at those cities each week and contract with reputable dive shops to take their guests for two dive operators has a problem getting down with t-shirts and drunken gringo of information in advance from the dive tank dives. One of the you back to the ship, the cruise line will hats sprinting down the dock only to skid operators directly, vice booking through strengths in booking dives take responsibility for you and getting to a stop after the gang plank is up. Be the cruise line with an operator you via the cruise boat is the you back on board or keeping the ship sure to point and wave politely at those won’t know until you are pier side with fact the cruise companies in port until they recover all passengers. people as you steam out of the harbor. your borrowed boat towel and gear in hold the local dive opera- If that happens with an excursion you They will catch up at the next port, but hand. tors to the same level of booked on your own, you may just be whoo-boy, will there be some angry One of the other benefits of pre- mega customer service as standing on the dock watching the big inter-couple conversations about “whose arranged private bookings is that you provided on board the ship. white ship with your entire luggage and fault” it is that they missed the boat. can insure you will not be subjected to If customers are not treated all that food sail away while you wonder cattle-boat/mass-tourist diving and snor- well, the cruise lines will how to get home or to the next island! Special arrangements keling trips. Cruise boat booked excur- quickly find a new partner (Although cruise lines have staff reps at If you have a preferred dive operation sions may end up being a big boat com- willing to accept guaran- each destination that can help guests at a certain island, you are of course bining snorkelers and divers that dump teed money from 20-30 div- make arrangements to catch up with the free to make your own reservations in 30-40 snorkelers in the same location with ers delivered to their door- boat). advance. I have found the operators are the eight or ten divers. Kind of luck of the step several times a week. Experienced Cruise Boat Vacationer quite willing to pick you and your gear draw there, and you won’t know until Much like the rest of Note: When the cruise line says be back up pier side and work within your ship’s you are on the big boat how they run cruise boat vacations, on board at 5 PM…they mean it! It’s port time parameters for half day or all their trips. (Nothing against snorkeling... the company takes a lot quite an impressive sight to be on deck day trips. My “adventure wife” prefers I hope we as divers all still look kindly of the worry out of mak- during a departure and watch for late making these types of reservations via upon snorkelers, and may still dabble ing dive arrangements. If arriving shipmates. Most vacationers the internet and telephone, and they ourselves… if compressed air is not avail- one of their contracted really enjoy seeing a couple loaded have worked out well. You can get a lot able). Most of the private dive bookings

LEFT TO RIGHT: In between dives, guests can enjoy a huge water slide and swimming pool on deck; Dives are arranged by the cruise ship; View of the boats docked at St Thomas 58 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED The Carnival Dream View of the harbor at one of the cruise ship stops in Cruise Diving feature the Caribbean (below)

book ship excursions from home and it My adventure wife and I have been turned out the ship’s 10 or 12 slots had diving from cruise boats for a number of all been reserved well in advance of the years and enjoy the opportunity to see sailing. So live and learn—book early! so many different dive islands and dive We have also learned one other locations in a week’s trip. It is not the booking trick associated with cruising. If same as getting to spend a solid week you have not made reservations ahead on one island diving every day, but it of time, or the ship trips are already is kind of a scuba sampler platter, and booked, you may still have a last minute helps us look for places we would like to chance to dive once the ship arrives return for a more extended stay, as well at a suitable island. Local tour opera- as meet some great dive operators we tors of all descriptions will be waiting would do business with again. on cruise boat piers hoping to get tour- All of this diving, surrounded by abso- ist dollars for historical tours, ATV and lute luxury accommodations, top knot Jeep rides, jungle excursions, zip-lines, service, unbelievable food and nightly beaches, party boats, snorkeling and entertainment at about US$100 a day even scuba diving. If you have a C card per person on the ship (excursions and in your pocket, someone will route you drinks are extra)… what’s not to like? If to a dive operation. These last minute you have a non-diving spouse or partner, deals are generally cheaper than pre- it is a very enticing way to have a very arranged trips, and you may have some nice vacation and get you into dive togs haggling leeway, but it is balanced with no muss or fuss, and you definitely against the fact that your ship visit will dominate the formal dining table discus- only last six to eight hours, and any div- sions with answers to the nightly ques- ing has to fit within those parameters. tion: “So, what did you do today on the Not my favorite way to book a dive, but island?” ■ is an option if everything else fails.

we have made ended up with 2-6 divers you have the comfort of using your own for us at each location for free. The rental and very attentive staff/operators who gear, and post dive, you can clean it equipment all worked well. Plus, I got an can lavish me with attention instead of in your cabin shower, and then drape unexpected benefit of getting to wear a having to deal with first time snorkelers… it attractively about your cabin and/or lot of different manufacturers’ gear day Having booked through the cruise balcony where the cabin steward can after day and making my own compari- lines and private operators, we find the admire it while making up your room sons. It was also very nice to hand it all private bookings are usually cheaper three times a day. back at the end of the dive for them to by US$10-20 dollars, and we get very This year, with airlines charging extra maintain, while I just walked away with a good service with the smaller compa- baggage prices for checked luggage, net bag of fins/mask and snorkel. nies. Caribbean dive prices routinely run and the considerable extra bulk of US$100-130 including full rental gear for a BCD’s, regulators/computers, wet suits, Lessons learned half day two-tank dive. Taking your own etc, I finally decided to leave everything On this particular trip, the ship stopped at gear can knock US$10-20 off the price of except mask, fins and snorkel at home five different islands, and we pre-booked the dive. for a 7-day cruise. with private operators via the internet Conceptually, it was hard for me at and telephone in St Croix, St Kitts and To bring or not to bring gear first, but paying the extra US$10-20 to the Barbados and unsuccessfully tried to We usually haul our full gear along on dive shop for full gear rental turned out book another island dive via the cruise cruise/dive vacations with a wheeled quite well. I was very pleased with the ship once we were on board—since we bag to get on and off the piers. It adds quality of the rental gear, and the dive could not get an operator on the island about 50 lbs of gear for two people, and operators even threw in shorty wet suits to respond to us via email. You can pre-

59 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Diver greets reclining leopard seal Göran Ehlmé Text by Peter Symes Photos by Göran Ehlmé

PS: When did your interest in pho- and asked if I could spend my tography start? praktik there, but I actually ended up in SubAqua instead, which GE: TV-shows and programmes was a vacuum cleaner company. when I was a kid in the 1970’s Somebody got the paperwork played a big part, in particular, mixed up, but it was okay be- Cousteau and other shows. Also cause they also made wetsuits. Jan Lindblad (a Swedish natura- list, writer, photographer and film It was owned by two guys who maker who won acclaim for his used to work for Poseidon, and wildlife films —ed.) there, I learned to use a blind stich machine. This was tricky. Either you PS: Who taught you photography? could or you couldn’t! But I figu- red it out, and soon I had an extra GE: It came gradually job. The lady who usually did this job suddenly died, and suddenly I PS: You are both the co-founder was the only one who could blind of Waterproof and a renowned stich. So, I went there after school. prize-winning photographer. What Neoprene, as we have come to is the relationship between these know it later, was invented there. activities? Did you start in business It became quite big, but due to to finance an interest or are they bad management, it went under separate? later on.

GE: It is quite simple, really. I was The workshop became Vulkan. a photographer first. Then, I lear- Wetsuits were forgotten, as they ned to dive. It all began when I didn’t want to do it. Windsurfing was 11 in 1976. I started with my became big in the 1980’s, but dive training when I was 14 years nobody knew how to fix and old since I could get certified at repair the suits. I then talked to age 15. I was in eighth grade then, my brother, Bjorn, about helping, and at that stage, I had to do a but setting it all up was a bit of a ’praktik’ (a short one or two week challenge. We didn’t have 380 field trip with some practical work volts in the kitchen at home, but experience aimed at giving young we managed, nonetheless, to get students an impression and intro- the business off the ground. Soon, duction to working life and various these activitities came into conflict trades and crafts. —ed). I went with Vulcan, who asked us to stop to Aqua Sport (a local dive shop) competing: ”Either leave or co- Göran Ehlmé 70 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile Polar

THIS PAGE: My, what big teeth you have... Leopard seal in action

operate”. So, we started Waterproof in tography on the shelf for a while. 1984 while I was working as a carpenter at But in 1987-88, I was going up to the same time. Lofoten and I got off to a new start. But constructing wetsuits felt right as the ocean was dear to me. As [land] photo- Waterproof and I are the same graphy was dear to me, too, taking the thing. I can always justify diving photography down under the surface was and taking pictures doing it only the next logical step because it brings pictures to our catalogues. The force that pus- I bought an underwater camera (from hes me forward is having a good 1980’s. That is why I went into video. We can sit in the office and design AquaSport, incidentially). It was a Nikonos time, and in the beginning, it was beautiful items, but you can really IVa. The first images—30 rolls shot in the Red purely for fun. It was only later it Now, we have more owners. That only work on the visual appea- Sea—were a complete disaster. They were became professional. There was is because I do not want to be in rance. You have to be in the field. all over-exposed, so I put underwater pho- never money in stills even in the conflict with what I do. Most of the time outside, you wait

71 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile Polar THIS PAGE: Attack of the killer Leopard seal. Penguins are no match for the jaws of a leopard seal. Here the seal plays with its food like a frisbee in the pool

for wildlife. Ninety percent of the time, you PS: Waterproof was one of the first, if not the I like the tropical seas, but it is not my world. wait. Sometimes you wait for eight hours in first, to use cold water destinations in the It doesn’t touch my heart, as I do not get to your drysuit, so you will notice if something is marketing. I am referring to some of your see stuff that I understand. In cold waters, I not working. You don’t necessarily do that early work and Waterproof promotions that find animals I know from home. I grew up in after one hour. was shot on Iceland in the 1980’s. Where did Scandinavia. I like to see animals that I can that idea come from? somehow relate to, that touches me. But

72 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Göran Ehlmé and friend (left) Penguins leap out of the sea onto ice flows profile (below) Polar Background of the penguins, 2006 Göran Ehlmé of Sweden has planned and led many · Lord of the ice: Leopard seals (Discovery/Saint field trips to the polar areas and was the first to lead Thomas Productions, 2003) diving expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. · What do the walruses know? (SVT,DR, 2003) He has more than 24 years diving experience, is a · Wildlife special: Killer whales (BBC/Discovery, 2003) certified PADI Instructor and has been diving the polar · Hunt for the red whale: Killer whales (Survival, 2003) areas since 1993. He dives both open water and · Blue planet: Frozen seas (BBC/Discovery, 2002, under the ice during summer and is particularly expe- narwhal, walrus and emperor penguins) rienced with walrus, emperor penguins and leopard · Toothed titans (National Geographic, 1999, feeding Seals. walrus sequence) With Waterproof Expeditions, he likes to share his · White whales and narwhals chattering of ghosts experiences of the polar regions with divers around (Canal+, 1999) the world. As an underwater cameraman, Ehlmé · Lea the Leopard Seal (Saint Thomas/Canal+, 1998) has been on assignment filming many documenta- · Avaq: The Arctic toothwalker; walrus ries for Animal Planet, BBC, Canal Plus and National (Scandinature) Geographic. He recently won the BBC’s Shell Wildlife · Svalbard: Where the polar bears reign; walrus Photographer of the Year 2006 award with his winning (Scandinature) image of a feeding walrus underwater in North East Greenland. (see next page) For his company, Waterproof International in Sweden, Ehlmé is the head designer of neoprene drysuits, wet- Ehlmé has filmed beluga, narwhal, seals, walrus and suits and accessories. He has been testing the suits other mammals in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland during is camera work in the polar regions and has and Svalbard. In Antarctica, he filmed humpback and designed them with his experiences in mind. The qual- minke whales and all the members of the seal fam- ity and design of the suits have won many awards for ily including the leopard seal. He has also captured the best suits all over the world. ■ most penguin species, including emperor penguins, as well as many invertebrates on film. In the Azores (Faial destinations like, for example, New regions have to offer divers that and San Miguel) he Zealand also work for me. tropical destinations don’t? GE: In regards to marine mammals, spent four seasons div- it is important to realise how very ing with sperm whales, I dislike that the world is turning into GE: Diving in cold water means similar we are to them. It is really and since 1985, he a Disney World where you are told that you can explore locations surprising, actually. A lot of animals has been diving with what to do. Everything is prefabri- where nobody else has been, like to interact with humans. They orcas in Norway and cated down to the tracks of the just like Ernst Shackleton or Roald care for their young, and they became familiar with rainforest. I hate it when there is no Amundsen, and there are no are gentle towards humans—they the whales themselves adventure. people around. You are back to mean no harm. and the logistics and being an explorer, that is what techniques involved in When I went to Iceland, it was I love. In the tropics, you can’t You don’t expect animals to kick getting close to them. actually prohibited to dive in explore anymore. you just for the fun of it. You don’t Thingvellir, though some years ear- let your fear interfere with your Ehlmé’s footage has lier, some black and white images To me cold water also means tran- interaction with the animals. In the been used in numerous were taken for Poseidon up there. quility and an untouchable frontier. old days, you would not make the series and films over the distinction between curiosity and past ten years. PS: You seem to have a prefe- PS: What is the most important an attack, and scare stories sold · Archives of rence for the colder regions of the lessons you have learned about more newspapers. Emperor Penguins planet? Where did that interest wildlife by having interacted with under water in come from? What do the polar them? The more time you spend with the Hollywood Production, March

73 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile Polar

THIS PAGE: Feeding walrus; Diver and manatee (bottom right)

the animals, the more logical it They are always out to open sea PS: Video or still photograp- one I prefer. all seems, and it begins to make and quite tricky to follow. Also, the hy? When is one media better than sense. We are not all that dissimilar. Giant octopus and the other? PS: Where do you see the biggest feeding Sperm whales are high on (technological) advances taking PS: Are there any other creatures my list of priorities. GE: In the recent years, I have place? you would like to document in the been working mostly with stills future? PS: What do you look for in an because it is easier and the GE: What I learned when I dealt image? What makes a picture equipment is lighter and less com- in white shirts was that they were GE: I would still work with the polar great in your opinion? plicated, which makes it more all made in Bangladesh, so it was regions. So far, I have only done fun. I have gone back to video meaningless to discuss quality. It is ”the easy parts”. I would definitively GE: Tricky question. It can be so lately though, but it requires more a matter of design. The same prin- like to do the emperor penguins. many things. people. For me, it is 50-50 which ciple applies to photography; you

74 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile silver can pretty much decide on the PS: Which features would you like you like, be happy and have a quality you want. to see invented? good time.

The big question at the moment GE: Sidescan sonar video. The side PS: What other dreams would you is will Nikon and Canon take over scan sonar images are nice, so just like to live out before you retire? the video market, or will Sony and imagine if you could do the same Panasonic take over the still pho- with video. You could use sound GE: Hmmm..... just to see some tography market? Evidently, the to see really deep and record other places. I already travel a lot. technologies are about to fuse. what i.e. the Sperm whales are Perhaps seeing British Columbia. Still photography as we know doing. Imagine what you could But I am already living my dream. it today will go extinct, wiped see. I never had to work for the sake of out by what BBC and National making money. I always enjoyed Geographic are capable of. They PS: Who inpires you? Do you have what I do and have been lucky can just take frames out of their any role models? making money doing so. ■ High Definition videos. Nobody can compete with that. GE: I have no clue really. Do what Giant barnacle-encrusted tail fin of a humpback whale

cinema of dreams

www.seacam.com

75 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Unique Dive Site

Text and photos by Joseph C. Dovala www.jcdovala.com The sun was still high in the California sky as the Grumman Goose Flying Boat revved up for take-off. Onboard were four men, three passengers and the pilot, heading back to the mainland from Avalon, Catalina Island, on 17 September 1979. Conditions were calm, but as the old workhorse reached take-off speed, something gave way and they lost all power. The plane quickly turned upside down and plunged heavily back into the cold Pacific. The Goose nearly broke in two, yet amazingly, no one died initially The Sunken Goose from the impact.

It doesn’t seem possible anyone could have survived the violence of the crash of the Goose 90 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Diver Joe Tezak check- wreck ing out the port engine rap and intact propeller Sunken Goose

no exception, GPS numbers in hand it was an easy jaunt as well as a fair amount can be “worth their weight at will to the site. For a deeper of boat traffic, so getting in gold.” Some folks had a dive off California you couldn’t blown off and having to do general idea where it was, ask for a better location. It’s a free wheeling deco isn’t but the depth made casual very close to shore and just the best idea in these parts. searching impractical. east of Avalon Harbor, next Nevertheless, I’ve always had Members of the SoCal to the heliport. In fact, you very good diving here. TecDiver’s Club chartered can count on a Bell jet turbine When the Goose materializes the dive boat Seabass out of helicopter making a loud low out of the blue-green murk, my San Pedro. They use this tech- pass right over you during their first thought is, no way could friendly boat quite often. The landing. anyone have survived this skipper had a general idea crash. The passenger compart- where the plane might lie but Diving the Goose ment is completely folded over not specifics. With the more The water conditions are back on itself. It looks like an or less known depth, search almost always outstanding. angry child grabbed his model teams used a simple depth Good visibility at depth; fore and aft and then broke it contour search and within maybe dark because of in two. 20 minutes discovered the plankton in the surface layers Even with helium it takes Goose’s resting place. but clear water on the bottom. awhile before you mentally With the GPS numbers now Currents can be a problem, can straighten out the tortured

In a matter of seconds, former Flying Boat was going other 33 year old passenger. He Larry Gilman, a 27-year-old down to the bottom quite soon. was never found. Soon after this construction worker, pulled his A private motor yacht sped up to tragedy, which was the second 52-year-old father, O. T. Gilman, the scene, and the three shook fatal crash in less than a year, from the tangled wreckage. up men transferred over just as Catalina Airlines folded up shop, Larry then went back in to yank the plane was swallowed up by and the Grumman Goose Flying out the unconscious pilot, Vern the sea. The pilot was airlifted Boat era to Catalina Island McGee, 54, from what was to the mainland, and the father came to an end. Few people left of the cockpit. Larry then and son, who refused medical knew about the wreckage, and went in a third time to locate check ups, retired to a bar in fewer still, knew exactly where it the last man in the snarled Avalon. A Sheriff’s deputy finally was. passenger compartment but found them hours later and was unsuccessful. Both he and “convinced” them to go to the Finding the Goose his father O. T. then began Avalon hospital for a check up. My connections with the old administering first aid to the Only a couple of hours after Goose started with a charter badly injured McGee on the the crash, divers made the 225 group who wanted to find amphibian’s wing. foot plunge to the Goose’s the plane’s whereabouts. As It was plain to see the mangled remains but did not find the in many places, California is

Part of the passenger compartment laying on a wing 91 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Divers Mike wreck Stevens and Joe rap Tezak explore Sunken Goose both Pratt & Whitney radial engines BELOW: Inside the twisted remains aircraft. Though separated from the fuselage, the wing is somewhat intact with the propellers unbent—proving they weren’t spinning. Many of the surfaces still have red and blue paint on them. The tires are still recognizable, as are some of the stabilizer control surfaces. Airplane parts are scattered to and fro, and there’s a small section of fuselage off the main wreckage that could’ve been part of the cockpit. It generally takes two dives to fully explore the crash site. While on a sandy bottom, the few rocks and plane com- ponents now provide substrate for kelps, especially Laminaria. These large

bladed algae can partially obscure the water is usually clear, the darkness has to be talked out in detail before effort was trying to get clear images radial engines depending on bottom makes for considerable difficulty to the dive. You also don’t get much of without the night background look. The currents. Other detritus builds up peri- get anything other than strobe-lighted- a chance to mess around with cam- other issue was primarily dialing in the odically against other sections as well. black-background “night” pics. Long era settings. I try to anticipate f-stops right amount of ISO. While the high ISO Photographically, she’s a tough exposures and the new high ISO cam- and shutter speed on the surface. cameras do extremely well in air, water one. Other than the propellers, there eras rule on this one. Admittedly, this takes experience but physics throws a lot of curves at you; so isn’t much that looks “aircrafty”. The As underwater photographers we with digital the learning curve is less it isn’t just a matter of cranking up the fuselage is so badly twisted that only have little time to set up shots; on these steep. sensitivity. a very small angle looks like she once extra deep immersions the clock is tick- It took three dives on this flying boat Image noise is a function of many belonged in the air. Even though the ing even faster. Any work with a model to get several shots I liked. Much of the variables underwater besides available

92 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED wreck rap Sunken Goose

Silhouettes of Topside support swimmer, Kevin Lane, checks on divers, Joe Tezak, Mike Stevens the plane intact

light. Type of suspended particles, extended range dive. The relatively ally published dive writer and pho- temperature, and “color” of the easy diving conditions along with tographer with a background in the water all seem to play a role. a bit of colorful history make it well U.S. Coast Guard, ocean technol- Whenever I dive on “artificial worth the gas. ogy and molecular bio-logy. Visit: reefs”, even small ones like this, it Joseph Dovala is an internation- www.jcdovala.com ■ always amazes me how many marine critters are cruising around. The wreckage is now home to blacksmith, rockfish and lingcod. None of the fish are that big, so hope- fully the clowns with the spear guns will stay away. Due to the depth, this old air jalopy enjoys a fair amount of anonymity. It’s quite fragile though, and can be heavily damaged by careless or greedy indi- viduals. There’s no need to dig around as nothing remains to salvage. One also has to be careful when anchoring or drop- ping a down line. The old Goose does make a fine

Diver Joe Tezak descends on fold- ed main fuselage Divers Mike Stevens and Joe Tezak return to the temporarymorring line 93 X-RAY MAG : 37 : 2010 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED