Taking Photos Under Antarctica

Did you see the beautiful photos taken under the ice in Antarctica in the December 2003 issue of Ranger Rick? So, what did it take to make all those beautiful photos in the freezing seas?

Well, of course, Norbert Wu and his dive team had to get to Antarctica first. Norbert lives in California. So it's a looong trip! He headed there in the Antarctic Spring (our Fall). He had to fly for nearly 30 hours, with a stopover in New Zealand, near Australia. At last, he and his team arrived in Antarctica. They headed toward the research station--sort of a village with simple box-like buildings--where they would be staying. As many as 600 scientists were already hard at work there. Soon another 600 or so would arrive at the height of the southern summer--December and January.

Every night, Norbert had to make sure his seven cameras and related gear were in working order. He might be up until midnight getting everything ready. The next day he was often at work by 5 a.m.

Every morning, Norbert and the dive team gathered all the cameras and filming equipment, along with their diving gear. Sometimes they either loaded it on to a helicopter. Other times they piled it on to a kind of snow tractor called a Spryte (sprite). (A Spryte moves over the ice as a bulldozer goes over dirt.) Then out they'd head out to a chosen spot on the offshore ice. On the way out to the ice the Spryte often broke down or caught on fire. These vehicles were old and the freezing weather didn't help! (The helicopters didn't seem to break down as much. But you couldn't fly them in bad weather.)

If the team were lucky, they might find a ready-made seal hole to dive down into. Weddell seals gnaw through the ice with their teeth to make breathing holes. They keep gnawing at the holes to keep them from freezing over. The holes were large enough for a diver to slip down through.

Or if no seal holes could be found, the team brought a huge power drill out on the ice. It drilled out the diving holes, boring down through six feet of ice. And then a dive hut would be brought out. The hut was built off the ground, on sled-like runners, so moving it was easy. The hut would be placed over the drilled hole. Inside, someone would light the hut's heater and set up a table and cooking stove.

Then when Norbert and his team arrived at the hut, they would unload their gear, including instant soups and other warm snacks. Norbert and crew would get into their dive suits. Each diver needed some help putting on the bulky suits, air tanks, and gloves. It could take an hour to get suited up and ready to dive.

Once in the water, things could go wrong. One time, one of the diver's watertight zipper on his dive suit wasn't closed all the way. So as soon as he got into the icy water, his suit flooded. He surfaced a few minutes later and was OK. Norbert had trouble with a hose used to inflate his dive suit. (If a diver didn't put air into his suit as he went down, the heavy water pressing down on him could crush him.) Norbert's hose came undone. So Norbert started to sink. He handed his camera over to a teammate. Then just before he had used up all of his breathing air, he made it to the surface. Close call!

Even when nothing went wrong, it was hard to feel comfortable diving in Antarctica. The water was more than 40 degrees colder than most swimming pools.

The heavy gear and awkward dive suits made things difficult. Most of Norbert's team stayed under the ice for about an hour. Even with special gear covering every part of their bodies, it didn't take long before the divers felt the cold. Their hands began to ache and their lips turned blue.

But the view in that underwater, under-ice world was incredible. It was truly a magical kingdom, filled with magical creatures. It was worth all the hard work to get there. And if they had the chance, just about everyone on the team would take the plunge into those icy waters again!

Want to see more cool underwater Antarctic photos by Norbert and his team?

Visit Norbert Wu's website

(This link will take you off of the Ranger Rick site. The National Wildlife Federation does not maintain the information you'll find there.)

 

More to Explore:

Want to learn even more about Antarctica?
Here's a great book: Life Under Ice