Ice diving


first dive. Aſter half an hour our hands really started geting cold and it was time to return to our heated cabin. For our second dive our tender


had an idea for a completely different dive spot. For this site we had to travel ten minutes by snowmobile, but we were told that this trip would certainly be worth taking. It was a shame that we had to miss out on our heated cabin for this dive, but we didn’t want to miss out on anything. But we were in for a nice surprise – when we were busy preparing for the trip, our cabin was atached to the snowmobile so that it could be dragged to our second dive site! In contrast to our first dive,


this dive site lay beneath a large rocky area. Tanks to the current and the tides, big blocks of ice break loose, and aſterwards, these blocks of ice are pushed on top of each other and freeze again. From the start of the dive we saw numerous odd ice formations. Between the cracks in the ice the sun let its light down into the sea which fostered a fantastic atmosphere underwater. During this dive we actually ran out of time and didn’t have any time to look at anything other than different, almost hypnotic ice formations. Aſter the dive we returned to our


litle village on the ice. In the canteen we enjoyed a well earned lunch and a warm cup of tea. We chated with the other divers and enjoyed our warm meal and drinks. At the end of the dive day, all divers got back into the snow trains behind the snowmobiles and we were taken back to the dive centre. Aſter a whole day in the cold and on the ice, a warm shower and relaxing on the bed are great pleasures. Lovers of the sauna can also enjoy themselves at the end of the day – particularly aſter a


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number of days ice diving it becomes really difficult to warm the muscles up completely. Half an hour in the sauna makes a real difference. If you are lucky, at the end of the


evening there are no clouds in the sky – this really is a moment to overcome the cold as you need to go outside and admire a special natural phenomenon – ‘the northern lights’. With the naked eye it looks just like white light flashes moving around the air. A photograph from a camera on a tripod with a long shuter speed gives you a real indication of the northern lights in their full glory – splendid green and purple light flashes decorate the dark pole sky. In spite of the cold you can watch this phenomenon for hours. Te following day we were asked


to prepare ourselves a litle bit earlier for the departure of our snowmobiles. We went a litle further up the coastline that day, and once we arrived, the extreme beauty of the environment in the area took our breath away. Te holes in the ice were prepared in advance and were already waiting for us. Te large blocks of ice beneath the holes gave a clear indication of the thickness of the ice – the blocks were at least 80cm thick. Despite the fact that the holes in the ice were prepared in advance and that the holes are dived regularly, every morning a layer of ice needs to be removed from the top of the hole. On very cold days they even have to clean the ice out of the hole before every dive! Just as an indication the water temperature here is -2°C. Tat day we dived besides


a small island in the sea. If you pay atention during the day you will notice the tidal area you are in. Despite the frozen sea, low and high tides influence the ice pack – at high tide


September/October 2011


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