View from Beneath the Ross Sea Ice
Yesterday I took my video camera with me for the first time on a dive beneath the Ross Sea ice in Antarctica. Getting under the sea ice in Antarctica can be a rather involved process that often includes drilling a hole big enough for a diver to get through with all the requisite cold water diving equipment. As soon as I descended beneath the ice I saw a Weddell Seal breathing in a nearby hole. The visibility was likely around 600 feet, and looking back up at the bottom of the sea ice from underwater was nothing short of spectacular!
A huge thank you to U.S. Antarctic Program Dive Services supervisors Rob Robbins and Steve Rupp for making the diving here happen!
Now for some truly incredible images of Antarctica marine life and diving under the Antarctica sea ice check out Norbert Wu's website and the great online resource on "Diving Under Antarctic Ice" including the Antarctica marine life field guide developed and maintained by Peter Brueggeman.
ML: WOW WOW WOW! What a experience it must have been, you are now a 'hole diver'. Hanging out at the bottom of this great planet must be so...so incredible!
We miss you mucho and will eat some Shed red chili in your honor! Please go touch the actual chrome pole marker for me!
Be safe and keep living life to the fullest, you are so good at it! Love, John
PS: Before you leave you must do an 'ice plunge'...naked!
Posted by: John Price | November 06, 2008 at 07:14 AM
Awesome video! It looks like such an incredible experience to get to go diving under the ice in Antarctica.
Posted by: Alicia Echeverria | November 06, 2008 at 07:44 AM
AMAZING! BEAUTIFUL! So glad that you were able to experience such an incredible dive and grateful to you for sharing it with us.
Stay warm and know that we send you our best,
A
Posted by: Andrea | November 13, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Hi, Mary Lynn:
We are SO jealous of this great adventure you're on--keep up the GREAT work!
Hugs,
Mikey and Barb
Posted by: Mikey and Barb | November 16, 2008 at 06:49 PM