What's big, grey, and graceful? Weddell Seals! We saw many today! This morning, Maciej and I (remember Annika was at Happy Camper School - more on that below!) went to the dive locker to partake in our open water "check out" dive. This is when Rob and/or Steve, who run the dive operations here, take us diving and make sure we are comfortable in the water, that we can control our buoyancy properly, and that we can swap to our back-up regulators (the devise that gives the diver air) in case the primary regulator fails. We always have two regulators; one is merely a backup to be used if needed..... having an air supply is a good thing! This "check-out" dive requirement is a bonus for us because we get to dive in McMurdo Sound. Fantastic diving! We loaded up the piston bully, which is a tracked vehicle, and bounced and bobbled our way over to Little Razorback Island. The plan was to do one dive at Razorback and then continue our journey over to "the wall" to make a second dive there.

Maciej arrives at the "dive locker" for his first Antarctic dive!

Our piston bulley.

 

Tat gets to drive the piston bulley!

 

Aslan is looking forward to his first Antarctic dive - there's something that just doesn't feel quite right about having to wear ski goggles in order to go SCUBA diving!

When we arrived at Little Razorback Island, there were several seals laying around on the sea ice. This was a good sign! When there are seals above, there may be seals below!

 

Seals on ice!

 

Seals on ice - me and seal. (photo by Maciej Obryk)

 

Looks like a cozy place to sunbathe!

 

We suited up to make the dive. We dove in two shifts. First was Steve, Maciej, and me. Second was Rob and Aslan. Aslan is one of the New Zealand researchers who is joining the team this season! He had never been diving in Antarctica, so he came on this "shake down" dive!

Our first dive hole. Don't you want to jump right in??

 

TAT helps out by being the backup diver

The sea ice is about 6-8 feet thick at this location. As soon as we enter the water, we begin our decent through the dive tube. The salty water prevents the "tube" from being crystal clear like in the Dry Valley lakes, but I still enjoyed descending into what felt like my own little cocoon. Within moments, my face was so cold I couldn't feel my cheeks or lips! The water stings for just a few moments and then the skin goes numb and it is less of a problem!

While in "the tube," all one can see is white. Then, as if a curtain has been lifted, you reach the bottom of the ice and the vast expanse of the Antarctic undersea world is revealed! It is simply breathtaking! The colors in the ice above range from turquoise to green, to brown, and yellow.

Steve diving (photo by Maciej Obryk)

Me (left) and Steve (right) just below the surface of the ice. (photo by Maciej Obryk)

 

Sea star and soft corals. The white spot on the sea star is its madreporite. This is an "intake valve" that sucks water into the sea stars water vascular system. The water allows pressure to build inside its tube feet causing them to extend outward so the sea star can "walk."

Is this a sea anemone or "Cousin It"?

Sea stars and sea urchins (photo by Maciej Obryk)

 

We had only been in the water for a few moments before they came. They were big, and grey, and graceful beyond description, Weddell Seals! We could even hear them calling to each other under water! I have included an audio clip from the CD entitled "Antarctica" by Douglas Quinn in order to give you a sense of what it sounded like, eerie, curious, welcoming, and peaceful. View the video below for just a glimpse of what it was like!

We then moved on to the second dive hole. Every dive hole has its own features and "personality." The second hole was VERY different from the first! We named this one "slush hole.!" There's something just not right about diving through slush this thick! It was an interesting experience! Check out the video for more images!

The Slush hole!

 

TAT wanted to check out the slush!

 

The seals didn't mind the slush!

 

Check out this short video from the day!

**** please note, on this video, the sounds of the seals underwater are from the "Antarctica" CD by Douglas Quinn. Although I did record the sounds of the seals underwater, my camera microphone also picked up an awful electronic squeaking and rattling, so I have overlaid seal sounds from "Antarctica"!

 

What an amazing day! Thank you Rob and Steve!

 

Other news:
If you remember, yesterday, Annika headed off to Happy Camper School. When she left in the morning, the temperature outside was -22°F and she was a bit apprehensive about the challenge in which she was about to partake! As the day progressed, the winds subsided and the temperatures warmed significantly! When we returned from diving today, we found Annika at dinner and we had a rousing session of story swapping! Annika had a wonderful time at Happy Camper School! She is "home" safe and sound with all fingers and toes intact! She helped build, and then spent the "night" in a quinsy. This is basically an igloo, but made out of packed snow rather than blocks. She learned all about how to find missing people in whiteout conditions and how to keep herself safe! Way to go Annika! So - the group is back together again!

 

Parting pics:

Steve beside Erebus glacier! (photo by Maciej Orbyk)

 

A parting silhouette; Maciej enjoys the peace and quiet under the ice!

 

You can also check out my journals and pictures from previous seasons at:
http://www.ryejrhigh.org/ellwood