Hey everyone back in the real world. We are still alive and well here at Palmer Station and are working hard to get all of our projects done. I decided to write this journal entry on diving and boat tending here in Antarctica from my point of view. I have had a unique view of both jobs during my stay so far, having taken on both responsibilities many, many times.
Diving is exactly like Dr. Amsler previously said it is in his “Dive Ops” journal entry series … beautiful, astounding, fantastic … but a ton of work, both from the diver's perspective and the people who help out the divers, i.e. the tenders.
The job of a dive tender is one that rarely receives any credit. The job requires the people who are tending to haul all of the heavy dive gear into the boat (and out upon return to station), sometimes in very unfavorable surge, untie the boat, and drive the boat through an endless field of brash ice to get to the dive site.
Once there, the tenders help the divers into their weight belts, fins, masks, and tanks. They then drop the divers in the water and sit in the boat for 30 minutes to an hour waiting for the divers to resurface. Being that the seas around Palmer Station have not been cooperating of late, tenders have been left to sit in the boat in 1-3-foot seas. Add this to the time that they have to spend in the boat, and divers have been surfacing lately to tenders with green faces.
The water here is so near freezing, everyone must be on their toes at all times and help each other out in every possible way. For example, the other day I had a glove start leaking while I was diving. Just as Dr. Amsler described, it felt like someone was beating my hand with a sledge hammer over and over. Luckily, it was a short dive and we had two prepared and capable tenders in the boat.
When I reached the surface, I explained my predicament to the two dive tenders in the boat. They quickly helped me remove my dive tank and weight belt, and then immediately ushered me back into the boat. There, they were swift to help me remove the faulty glove, and provide me with a dry, warm glove to help warm the hand until we returned to station. Once my hand warmed, I was fine … with extreme thanks to the helpful dive tenders.
So, being both a tender and a diver here, I have learned to appreciate all aspects of being out in this frigid and unforgiving environment. It is beautiful, and there is no place like it on Earth. However, our training and experience can come into play at any time, and I am grateful to have such a competent team of people working with me.
Until next time … stay warm.
