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- What to expect while scuba diving in Antarctica<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Where can you go diving in Antarctica?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What is the water visibility like when scuba diving in Antarctica?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What marine life can you see in Antarctica?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Can you dive with penguins in Antarctica?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Can you go wreck diving in Antarctica?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
What to expect while scuba diving in Antarctica<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To go scuba diving on Antarctic expedition cruises<\/a> you must have a minimum number of cold water dives on your log before you can sign up. \u2018It is so important to have good dry suit experience and to be confident in that,\u2019 says Kelley. \u2018Antarctica is not the place to start getting comfortable in a dry suit.\u2019 Even long-time divers can get a shock to their system when immersed in water that\u2019s usually one or two degrees below freezing point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Getting ready to dive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \u2018The mammalian diving reflex of a shortness of breath when you first hit the water in Antarctica is super common, no matter how much experience you have,\u2019 she adds. That involuntary gasp is the first part of the cold shock response, where your body reacts by drawing blood away from your hands and feet so it can maintain your core temperature. It\u2019s why layering up under your dry suit is so important \u2013 and why Antarctic scuba dives typically last between 15\u201330 minutes (Kelley finds that a \u2018woolly bear\u2019 undersuit is an invaluable place to start with her layers). The same principle applies for those snorkelling in Antarctica<\/a>. The severe cold is another reason why it\u2019s important to have absolute familiarity with the kit you\u2019re bringing: always go for tried and trusted rather than getting something brand new for your Antarctica dive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018It\u2019s easy to fumble when you\u2019ve got big gloves on,\u2019 Kelley points out, and not just with your diving gear but with underwater cameras. The water on dives can often have a lot of particulate matter in it and you\u2019ll often be diving with lights that cause reflections, so practice adjusting your camera to make sure you get your best shot in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where can you go diving in Antarctica?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to note that you won\u2019t visit specific diving sites in Antarctica as you might in other parts of the world. As with all expedition cruises, itineraries are by definition flexible affairs, and planned every day between the Expedition Leader and the ship\u2019s captain, taking into account the weather, ice conditions, other ships in the area and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Diving gear prepped on an Antarctic expedition cruise ship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Several factors go into choosing where to dive, advises Kelley. Many locations that are perfect for zodiac cruising can be challenging for diving due to hidden currents. The presence of icebergs can also have a large effect on a location\u2019s suitability for diving, since their scouring of the sea bed can create an inhospitable environment for slow-growing invertebrate life, leading to a barren diving environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018With trips that are more focused on traditional cruising, there is definitely an opportunistic factor,\u2019 says Kelley. ‘But as long as you look at the bathymetry [the seabed topography] to get an idea of how any ice scour is working, you can always find good places to dive off the cuff.\u2019 The flexibility of itinerary planning means that you\u2019ll almost always dive in places where few people ever have \u2013 and even stand a chance of being the first to dive in some locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the water visibility like when scuba diving in Antarctica?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t expect the most crystal clear waters in Antarctica: just as the water is several orders of magnitude colder than the Caribbean, the visibility is correspondingly shorter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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An anemone captured on camera (Image: Lisa Eareckson Kelley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The reason for this is the wealth of phytoplankton in the water. Phytoplankton blooms are the basis of all life in Antarctica, since they feed the krill that feed everything else (getting involved with the FjordPhyto citizen science project <\/a>on a cruise trip is a great way of contributing to our knowledge of these building blocks of the ecosystem). A side effect of this is that blooms also lead to murky water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the timing of the blooms varies, they tend to be at their height in December and January, when the water can seem positively green with microscopic life. At the very beginning of the visitor season in November and the end of the season in February and March, blooms either haven\u2019t begun or have died back, resulting in better water visibility. It\u2019s worth noting however that even when the water is very green at the surface, once you get down to a depth of around 8\u201310 m (26\u201332 feet), it can often be clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the green of the blooms, Antarctica isn\u2019t just monochrome below the waves as so many people expect. \u2018\u2018Of course you have the browns and blacks and a little bit of blue in the icebergs,\u2019 says Kelley, \u2018but once you get below the surface, the invertebrates are so colourful. Even some of the rockfish there are bright orange and different colours. It’s really surprising to most people that there’s that much colour \u2013 and that much life.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What marine life can you see when diving in Antarctica?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Antarctica\u2019s marine life is rich, but the benthos you\u2019ll see when diving shouldn\u2019t be compared to that of warmer waters. While the nutrient-packed waters here support plenty of life, the cold temperatures mean it can be thinly distributed and very slow growing. In places where there are plenty of icebergs, seabeds are often scoured clean of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Notothenid fish (Image: Lisa Eareckson Kelley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The most common marine life found here are the echinoderms \u2013 sea stars, sea cucumbers and urchins. Limpets are the most common gastropods. They\u2019re astonishingly mobile, and are the first to recolonise an area when the algae they eat returns following ice scour, and avoid an icy fate themselves by migrating to deeper waters in winter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nudibranchs can also be seen, along with cnidarians like jellyfish. Anemones, sponges and soft corals will mostly be seen in places sheltered from ice: wall dives can be excellent for seeing these. These soft invertebrates are often found in greater concentrations at accessible depths in the South Shetland Islands (including Deception Island) where there is slightly less ice than along the Peninsula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fish are generally hard to spot. Amazingly, Antarctic fish lack a swim bladder, so they lie perfectly still on the sea floor and are easily missed unless you are virtually swimming on top of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Antarctic soft coral (Image: Lisa Eareckson Kelley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In South Georgia, where the water is merely Subantarctic in temperature and ice is less of a problem, it is sometimes possible at sites rich with kelp forests. Fur seals may be encountered, but they can be territorial, so diving in some locations may be restricted during breeding season in October and November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you dive with penguins in Antarctica?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A highlight of Antarctic expedition cruises is being out in a zodiac or paddling in a kayak, and finding yourself surrounded by a group of penguins effortlessly porpoising around. It\u2019s a common question for scuba divers: will they experience the same, but in three dimensions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Gentoo penguins beneath the waves (Image: Lisa Eareckson Kelley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Penguin encounters while scuba diving are generally rare. When in the water, penguins are vulnerable to leopard seals, and so they tend to regard people with some wariness as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At landing sites with large gentoo penguin colonies, it\u2019s sometimes possible to dive near the beaches where the penguins come and go, subject to local ice and other conditions. However, avoiding potential disturbance is the paramount rule of wildlife watching in Antarctica, especially when they are entering and exiting the water. Diving with penguins requires patience \u2013 and staying stationary in one spot is extremely cold work in these waters, and may require longer than most dives allow. If you\u2019re lucky enough to see penguins, their dynamic swimming makes them extremely hard to frame with a camera, so just point and shoot as you can and concentrate on enjoying the encounter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to remember that penguin colonies are also favoured dining spots for leopard seals. If one is spotted before a dive starts, the guides will likely advise relocating to another area \u2013 or have divers immediately return to the zodiac if a dive is in progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you go wreck diving in Antarctica?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wrecks are a highlight for scuba divers the world over, and the Antarctic Peninsula has two that you can dive at, should local conditions and your ship’s itinerary allow it. The first is the wreck of the Governoren<\/em><\/a>, a whaling factory ship that sank in 1915 at Foyn Harbour in the Enterprise Islands. The wreck sits half-submerged in the water, and has a large invertebrate community once you get deep enough so that they\u2019re not affected by ice scour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Diving at the Governoren<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n - Where can you go diving in Antarctica?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n