Shooting Beneath the Ice

Contributed by Scuba Diver Australasia

Story and photo by Michael Aw

Antarctica..... the coldest and windiest continent. My first voyage, my first photographic journey to the ultimate wilderness on earth was filled with aspirations and dreams. I dreamt of leopard seals, penguins dashing in and out of ice-floes and of course over/under images of icebergs, which are money shots with my stock agency. My objective joining a photographer and diver expedition on board the Polar Pioneer was to capture a sample of an above and below portfolio of the Antarctica Peninsula. I soon realized that I was too ambitious. For each landing, I had to carry a 30kg backpack of cameras, a pole cam, and I had to fight an expedition leader whose mission in life was to make sure I fail.

Any way, I persevered grabbing every window of opportunity for a lucky break to capture a photographic record of snow, sun and sea in extraordinary formations of ice, creating overwhelming, ever-changing color spectrums, in an amazing variety of shades and of immense brilliance. With an intensity unfelt since childhood, I fought to retain the infinite impressions that flooded the senses. Working the above and below images, I was mesmerized by the hues and shades beneath the ice and I will never forget those indescribable cathedral lights that light up the deep blue ice. I remembered my fingers were numb beyond comprehension submerged shooting for those over and under images, I was too immersed in enthusiasm to feel the pain and the cold.

Scuba Diving in these icy waters is an entirely different challenge, especially in water temperatures of around -2.2° to -1.6°C. I used the Apollo Prestige dry suit with 2 layers of fleece undergarment and a dry suit hood, though I found out later that an ice-cap under layer would have been a clever inclusion. Of course having two layers would have worked better then one. Latex neck seals are particularly cold, thus a drysuit with a neoprene warm neck collar is best. With dry hood tucked inside the collar, the neck seal is sealed from the direct contact of the water which keeps the neck and upper body warmer. Unfortunately for my trip I was not equipped with a dry glove - believe me the pain is excruciating. The next time I am coming back with an integrated dry glove system possibly from DIVING Concepts - dry glove and wrist ring system. This integrated dry glove system enables heated air to pass into the gloves, which keeps hands and fingers warm and can be installed on most drysuits.

A high performance regulator is absolutely essential in icy water temperatures; it is important to utilize regulators that are insulated from the cold environment to prevent the buildup of ice avoiding 'freezing up' the unit. It's a good idea to practice the technique of making an emergency ascent by breathing from a free-flowing regulator. To avoid a free-flow regulator, avoid stressing out the unit with heavy breathing. Take your first breath submerged rather than in the air, and never use the purge button either above or below the surface. Blow away any entrapped water (or ice) that might be around your cylinder valve or regulator orifices with dry air from another cylinder. My choice of regulator was the Apex's TX100 or the environmental sealed Mk6 from Sea Hornet Australia.

About diving in Antarctica:
With the Polar Pioneer, divers are transported by Zodiacs to rocky shores or ice bergs; the dives are generally shallow to 20m, and dive time between 30 to 40 minutes. Dives are limited to one or two per day allowing time to join the rest of the group exploring the topside of Antarctica which has so much more to offer and certainly a unique experience. Advanced certification and a dry suit diving course are essential..
Contact: Aurora Expeditions,www.auroraexpeditions.com.au.
Michael Aw's website: www.michaelaw.com

This article was originally published in Scubadiver Australasia

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