Kay & Andy, chilling out!
Svalbard
It's gonna be cold in there!
Spitsbergen is the largest of a group of
Norwegian Islands known as Svalbard between 74 and 81 degrees North
and 10 and 35 degrees east. The weather and sea conditions can be quite
varied from Strong winds in the open sea to fog, mist, and dazzling
sunshine.
There are only three indigenous land mammals in Svalbard, the Arctic Fox, The Svalbard Reindeer and the Polar Bear. The bird life and Flora are surprisingly rich with about 52 species of birds and 500 different species of plants.
I became interested in Spitsbergen
several years ago after seeing several documentaries of which The David
Attenboroughs ‘Realm of the Ice Bear’ was the most memorable, So on
hearing an Exploration Company Called Oceanwide Expeditions did sight
seeing Cruises I was interested, and they also took divers WOW. The U.K.
agent I phoned was ‘Arcturus Expeditions’ Kathleen Cartwright was very
helpful answering my many questions and sent a very comprehensive
literature pack, I was now sold. Now how to break this to my dive buddy
and best friend (my wife Kay).
The question soon arises ‘where are we
going on holiday next year!!’ I answer casually ‘I quite fancy St
Lucia, only to get the answer ‘ Ooh no not the Caribbean again!! Can’t
we go somewhere cooler?’ ‘Leave it to me I Reply.
We left from Heathrow and arrived in Oslo
for a over night stop, then up early and quick stop in Tromso then up to
Longyearbyen (the Norwegian Administrative Centre). At the Airport we meet
Rinie Van Meurs the Expedition Leader and Mike Murphy Polar Dive Master,
Who took care of our luggage and we then had a few hours to look around
Longyearbyen and do some last minute shopping.
Now on board the Professor Molchanov an
Ice strengthened ship with a Russian Crew. We meet in the bar for a pre
trip brief by Rinie to lay down the dos and don’ts of Polar Exploration.
Polar flowers can take two years or more to build up enough energy to
flower so don’t pick or tread on them, good Rubber boots are required to
exit the Zodiacs and cross small streams. We bought the same as Sir
Ranulph Finnes used to walk to the pole, from Skee Tex in Hullbridge
Essex. And not to ever forget Polar Bears, Males reaching a length of
10’ and a weight of 500kg and can run at amazing speeds. All shore
parties have armed escorts by law, but if you should have to shoot the
highly protected Bear you will be buried in paperwork to explain your
actions.
The next brief was for us Divers by Mike
who laid out our max depth of 20m and only buddy diving. We took all our
own gear but weights and Cylinders. Well practised in dry suit diving is a
must, this is no place to learn as out in the ice flow we had to stick
with the ice and had 65m below us.
Diving with a single steel dumpy 12L
cylinder with a twin outlet, so using twin Reg Sets. I used Apex
TX100’s, and Kay used Apex TX50’s both of which functioned with no
problem down to -1 Degree’s
Celsius.
Next came the lifeboat drill, which went
very well.
All tired we depart to our basic but very
comfortable cabins trying to block out the strong 24-hour sun from the
porthole. No night dive on this trip.
7.00 call from Alwyn (the Purser) that
Breakfast would be at 7.30. It was a beautiful sunny day with flat sea in
the channel of Hornsund. 9.00 the zodiac’s are ready to take the shore
groups with Rinie and Yves to walk to a Little Auk colony with many other
birds and also Reindeer.
Mike with Francois took us divers for our
shake down dive. A shallow shore dive with lots of different small
Jellies, Nudibranchs and Swimming Snails with beautiful purple shells and
white wings.
Back on board ship we spot a Polar Bear
swimming in front of us, the Captain slowed the ship so as not to frighten
the bear. We watch as the bear climbs out onto the beach, then as we enter
the pack ice he walks out onto the ice then gradually further away until I
lose sight of him.
The next day sees us out in the pack ice
in the Zodiacs. We intend to dive under a large piece we have seen close
to the ship, but we spot a huge Walrus. With the engines off we paddle
closer, but he drops beneath the surface, only to surface right beside me
look me straight in the eye then slowly swim away.
Back to our large Iceberg as it is very
dangerous to dive with a Walrus, we roll over the side and down. The Vis
is a bit milky with the fresh water mixing with the sea, but the ice
sculptures underneath is fantastic with the sun shining through and a
water temp of -1deg C of
which I never felt cold and none of the others complained of being cold.
The days fly by and on the Friday evening
we have a BBQ on the back deck with all the crew and staff. Vodka, dancing
and the like, till the small hours were enjoyed by us all.
And now the last day and time to reflect
on all that we have seen.
The Shore excursions with Rinie and Yves
were fantastic with lots to see at a relaxed rate. The Dive trips with
Mike and Francois were exciting, safe and very informative with lots of
new things to see.
Alwyn and his lovely wife Jenny looked
after us from behind the bar with a constant flow of coffee and tea along
with a good selection of drinks
The Captain was always pleased to see us
on the bridge, which we could visit at anytime.
So three bears, several Walrus, Ring and
Bearded Seals lots of birds I have never seen before, and lots of new
undersea life along with the fantastic scenery makes for a trip I will
never forget.
ă Andrew
Watts July 2003
Trip organised by Arcturus Expeditions Ltd
Tel 01389 830204
email: arcturus@btinternet.com
Here's Kay's take on the trip!
Somewhere
Cooler?
Having
previously the very good fortune to experience the phenomenal beauty of
visiting and diving in the Maldives (inaccurately named archipelago, as
there were no Bad dives to be found), with a climate akin to broiling
slowly, in front of a 3-bar electric fire, I suggested to my spouse that somewhere cooler would be an
ideal vacation spot. An altruistic suggestion, as I suspected he might
like to re-visit Norway, a favourite destination of his.
Praying
for something communicable to blight me, and yet failing to be infected,
not least by enthusiasm, If I had been the type of person into
self-flagellation, I would still have been thwarted as I had searched
extensively and yet still could not find a wall hard enough to strike my
head upon.
We
landed; I skipped off the aircraft, armed with equal amounts of
trepidation and excitement. The temperature was somewhat cooler as
promised, and I appreciated at this point the in-depth research Andrew had
undertaken to ensure we had sufficient layering to combat the cold. (I had
a sneaking suspicion that Andy had desired me to look more enticing fodder
for any passing carnivore attired in my 5 layers of clothing.)
The
Icebreaker was comfortable and well equipped; the boat accommodated
approximately 45 passengers of those only 12 were divers, two English, two
Swiss and several Americans.
We
were assigned two Zodiacs and two dive masters, the crew were very
professional and safety was paramount. Firearms were mandatory in the
boats and especially on land.
After
the dive we beached the Zodiacs onto a large flat piece of floating ice
for a photo shoot, the American contingent had an individual of
considerable girth who was the ideal candidate to check the integrity of
the ice, it held so we landed.
That
night I experienced a new and unusual phenomenon, having lain awake
bracing myself against the bunk to maintain a stationary position, and
failing, I relinquished this unattainable goal and allowed my internal
organs to rotate in time with the wave motion. I discovered that
concurrently reciting “Wibble Wobble, jelly on a plate” whilst
monitoring my small intestines jostling for prime location, helped me to
regain my equilibrium and allowed me to rise unaided and rested.
In
the morning the loud speaker heralded a sighting of a large walrus in the
vicinity, everyone was summoned to board the Zodiacs and stalk this
beastie. The 'Rufftie Tufftie' Divers were all suited and ready for
action, the five Zodiacs, filled to capacity with Photo-opportunists who
approached with stealth and precision, manoeuvring around huge ice floes
and, surrounded the Walrus, who returned a steady and baleful look.
I
was enthralled by the power and sheer size of this creature, and yet
its’ hide was carved with scars from violent encounters. My enchantment
was superseded with concern as it slipped gently from its icy throne into
the inky depths and momentarily disappeared, to reappear directly under
our Zodiac.
With
a solemn and prolonged stare it registered the varying degrees of fear in
our countenances and having reasserted its supremacy returned to its
former elevated position.
Then
our dive master suggested that it would be a tremendous place to dive, we
dissuaded him by pointing to a spectacular iceberg, coincidentally some
considerable distance from the beastie with the winning smile and
belligerent disposition.
I
added my own reasoning that in my list of ‘Ways to Die’, the choice of
being skewered by a walrus, was significantly lower than having my
entrails disembowelled by a polar bear and this featured quite a little
way below dying a peaceful death in a warm bed with loved ones stroking my
aged and liver-spotted hands.
The
iceberg was a spectacular living sculpture, the cold emanating from this
colossal chunk of frozen landscape caused the minute amount of heat I was
generating through my dry suit to create a halo of cloud around my head.
On
immersion the ice platforms beneath us swirled and formed roller- coaster
slides into an uninviting abyss, our descent took us down until the
ice-berg formed a cone of ice penetrating downwards, and looking to the
surface the light permeating through these platforms cast strange shadows.
Looking across I caught sight of divers using an underwater light, which
illuminated the ice and reflected the light in an eerie manner the water
appeared to resemble an oily liquid, the atmosphere was deathly still,
there was an unrecognisable sound which I attributed to the freezing of my
inner ear.
I
was reminded of the Dive master’s proud boast that no living person had
ever dived these particular co-ordinates. Marvellous, my over-active
imagination fled to the fantasy of swimming around the next iceberg and
meeting a group of Polar bears on their summer vacation. All dressed in
red polka dot swim trunks, sipping frosted Russian vodka, sucking on
glacier mints, and awaiting the welcome arrival of a self delivery of
multi-cultural take-away’s.
We
returned to the ship, Andrew ecstatic that we had actually dived under an
iceberg, me delighted that we had survived such an experience.
In
open water we met a gale of fairly reasonable proportions, 8 on the
Beaufort scale.
Andy
had been feeling pretty feverish and rested below decks, whilst I watched
awe-struck by the ferocity of the sea.
From my vantage point five floors up in the observation deck the
windows were lashed by waves.
At
one point a discreet perusal of the deck showed all navigational equipment
working effectively, and not a sign of the crew left on deck.
I
decided that if I saw them tiptoeing towards the lifeboats life jacket in
one hand and vodka bottle in the other, I would be extremely peeved.
Of
course Andy wasn’t staying in the safety of the cabin, when danger
beckoned out on the back deck. He
was ensuring that our diving equipment wasn’t leaping over the side
without us being attached. Heroically video-taping the sea in its raging
state.
I
gesticulated wildly that it was a scary place out there and there was more
than enough alcohol to keep him amused inside, to which he acquiesced and
sought the sanctuary of the bar.
That
night I made plans for a sudden evacuation (no not my stomach), I had my
back-pack prepared Ray Mears style-complete with tent.
Yes, I know most females would consider a hair-dryer and cosmetics
compulsory packing for any emergency, but the tent took precedence.
Into
this back - pack went two bottles of water, a kilogram of chocolate, a
lighter, spare lighter, flint, box of matches (okay! so I’m not the most
optimistic person you know.) I even had a waterproof bag containing spare
hats and gloves and a large knife or two.
Andy
looked on quite astonished and speechless at this preparation, until I
mentioned quizzically that he would probably consider me over-reacting if
I slept with my mask and snorkel on. His laughter had died down by the
time slumber enveloped me.
In
the morning we awoke, almost an anti-climax the preparations all in vain.
The sea was becalmed, the sky a deep Mediterranean blue and cloudless.
The
warmth of the sun shining on the startling clear blue of a glacier, and
the incredible sight of a Polar bear, more impressive because it was the
view I had most been wishing for, that of one hurrying in the opposite
direction from myself This arctic adventure was surreal, mystical magical and has
totally changed my pre-conceptions.
Andy
has fulfilled a lifetime ambition of diving under icebergs and I was
privileged to accompany him and experience the incredible beauty of the
myriad ice sculptures the majesty of the glaciers. To have attained a
better understanding of the indomitable spirit of those adventurers who
despite their apparent human frailty, travelled or lived in its harsh and
spectacular terrain.
However,
next year I’d like to go somewhere warmer! I now have alarming visions
of Andrew trekking the Kalahari Desert, me in tow carrying an empty water
bottle, searching for a water hole to dive.
Or worse still, diving in seas spewing lava formations from newly
formed beds, where shrimps don’t cook at boiling point.
Somewhere
moderate would be nice! Sensible suggestions on a postcard and sent post
haste to Andrew.
Kay Watts
He can't be seasick! Surely not!
Shore dive anyone?
