What a busy day! Four dives were made today; each of us (Peter, Ian , Kay, and I) made a dive.
Everything
went smoothly for the most part! We went in and retrieved the light sensor that we
had left running in the lake overnight. We "threw" Peter in the lake first. Then Kay went in and
brought Hal back to just below the dive hole. After everyone had refueled with some lunch and
hot chocolate, Ian, Kay and I went back to the hole and pulled Hal up out of the water so the
probes could be calibrated. After the calibrations were complete, we lowered Hal back down the
hole and rested him on the bottom. After dinner, the four of us went back out to the dive hole.
We technically were doing a "night dive;" it was 9:35 pm before anyone got in the water; but
the sky was still well lit. It was cloudy though! Apparently there is a bit of a storm over in McMurdo;
an even bigger one expected for tomorrow! Ian and I both dove for about 50 minutes - that's a
long time! It's now 2 am - I'm going to bed!
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Peter gives us the "thumbs up" signal meaning he feels OK to jump in the water. We told him he was clear to dive! |
Moments after Peter got in the hole, we handed him "R2D2" (the nickname of his camera). He went to take some still photos as well as video of the set up around Hal, the "lift off" zone of the algal mat and anything else he may find interesting. He got some GREAT shots!
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Ian is recalibrating Hal's probes in some buffer solution. |
Easy does it... don't break the tip off that probe, Kay!
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While re-filling our air tanks, so noticed some people climbing up the Canada Glacier. Can you see them? |
How about now... can you see them? The amazing thing was that when I shut the compressor off, I could actually hear them talking to each other. I could even make out some of their words! That's how still and quiet the air was today - at least for a while!
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"Berry Picking" takes on a whole new meaning here in Antarctica! We need to collect glacier berries for all our water needs in camp (drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc.). We find an area along the front wall of the glacier where the ice has fallen off and broken into chunks on the land. We collect those chunks, bring them back to camp (usually in an ATV with a sled), and then dump them in a pile below the hut to be used as needed.
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Here come some berries! |
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Hassan unloads some glacier berries off the ATV. They are not light!
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Re-filling the dive tanks takes about an hour, depending on how many dives were done, and how much air is left in them.
(Are you happy now Ms. Adams??!! :) )
[Yes, we are happier! We enjoy seeing photos of you!] |
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ATV's are fun and all, but I would much rather walk quietly through the wilderness! But, when we have a LOT of gear to carry out to the dive hole, the ATV is a welcome mode of transportation. I must admit, it's a fun way to get to work!
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On cloudy days, such as today, the glaciers and lake ice take on a lovely blue hue. I could just look at it for hours and hours. It's very peaceful!
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•Ms. Ellwood - rellwood@sau50.k12.nh.us
Questions may be posted with the answers on the page below.
• Questions and answers about the trip.
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Antarctica 2006 
Antarctica 2006 homepage.