Discipline Report: Becky Kagan Schott & Seiko Verify In From Their Antarctic Expedition
Final week we left Becky Kagan Schott and Seiko traversing via the Drake Passage the place they encountered tough seas and swells near 30 ft excessive, generally recognized to the locals because the, “Drake Shake”. Nicely, we’re comfortable to report that the group has made it in a single piece they usually have begun to discover the alien world of Antarctica. Over a span of a few days, Schott and her group had been capable of expertise a wide range of wildlife together with a gaggle of feeding Gentoo penguins, Adelie penguins and a pod of humpback whales. Schott expresses how a lot magnificence there was in each route; from the gorgeous blue and aqua tones and textures of a huge glacier, to the leopard seals resting on icebergs, and penguins playfully shifting across the ice. Schott at one level discovered herself within the water with a curious leopard seal the place she was capable of work together with, and {photograph}, the semi-aquatic mammal for nearly an hour in sub-freezing waters. Schott and her group would journey to Danco Harbor and Cuverville Island within the following days.
With the Danco Harbor mountains within the background, Schott and her group got down to discover an iceberg to dive and discover. She mentions the unpredictability of ice, how dynamic it’s and that it’s always altering, which provides to the checklist of harmful issues to be conscious of when diving within the Antarctic, and particularly round an iceberg. Her group determined that it might be finest to find an iceberg that was already grounded, eliminating the potential of the iceberg flipping or shifting whereas they had been under the floor. Schott describes the iceberg underwater as chilly, silky, clear and sparkles within the daylight. Though the waters appeared akin to the aquamarine coloration of the Caribbean, it remained a frigid 29 levels Fahrenheit. Beneath, Schott describes the problem of diving an iceberg in Antarctica and in addition treats us to a wrist verify.
January tenth, 2022 “Diving in Antarctica isn’t straightforward. It takes loads of gear and preparation earlier than splashing into icy waters in probably the most distant a part of the planet. Earlier than I come, I make sure that my dry swimsuit is dry and there are not any leaks as a result of having 32f diploma water in your swimsuit isn’t nice. We have now to convey every little thing besides tanks and weights. We dive from zodiacs so loading them with all the gear is strenuous. Then gearing up on the water we assist one another by holding the gear on the rib and sliding into it. Rolling backwards is the straightforward half and I at all times hope I don’t really feel the push of chilly water throughout these first few seconds. As soon as I flip round, I’m capable of get my digital camera rig handed all the way down to me and we go diving! We watch our time intently and attempt to hold the dive round 45 minutes. After we floor, we grasp up the cameras after which get out of the gear within the water and it’s pushed up into the zodiac. Then we seize ropes on the edges and kick exhausting to push your self up onto the facet of the boat. It’s not often fairly however that is what expedition diving is all about. I solely dive the most effective gear in these harsh environments and equipment I can depend upon. The ice, the chilly and the zodiacs are robust on tools, so I depend on the most effective to do my job and never take into consideration something however getting nice photographs. Immediately, I’m sporting my Seiko Prospex SPB175”
Becky Kagan Schott and Seiko will return stateside on January 14th, 2022. Take a look at all her images from her current expedition to the Antarctic right here.
English 