Cold, Dry, and Far South: 14 October--That Seals It

Outlook was for day of continued normalcy of weather and job, which is OK. But partway through the morning, just as I was about to repossess a van from a department that had taken it sub rosa, I got the word to come back to Shuttle Ops immediately. Things were about to change and for the better. From time to time various departments present opportunities to various non-science departments to send their members of what are variously known as "morale trips" or as "boondoggles." My Bingo Ball had been drawn and I--if I got all my ECW and other gear immediately--was to get to go out with the foremost penguin researcher.

Would I like to go?

Are you kidding? Is that a real question? Sure!

I rushed "home" and got the camera--the first time here that I've forgotten to have it always with me--and presented myself to the Dive Building. Well, Dr. Poganyi is actually doing something else today, but would you like to go out as a Dive helper for the morning?

Are you kidding? Is that a real question? Sure! After introductions all around, Atlee, a young janitor, and I went out with 2 divers to Hut 6 out maybe 300 yards off the Dive Building. We road in the back of a Pisten Bully, a Swedish-made tracked vehicle with a cab and separate passenger compartment. They ride very roughly, vindicating Shuttle Bill's disparagement of them, but still it was fun to get to be out in one.

We arrived at the heated shack a while later and found an approximately 3 foot wide hole through the 12 to 14 foot thick sea ice. A heated tube blew warm air across the surface of the hole to help prevent freezing, but the real actor here was a smallish Weddell seal (pronounced with the stress on the second syllable) who keeps coming to it every few minutes for a breathe and to splash it open. Despite all this, there was a Slushy of ice plates forming but always being churned up.

The divers had suited up back at the Dive Building and it was astonishing how much they put on. Base layer of expedition weight Capilene or its equivalent; a Bunny suit set of overalls made of something like Hollowfill; a vest; a heavy duty, industrial strength dry-suit; fuzzy gloves and waterproof over-gloves that lock into the dry-suit; and booties and waterproof over-booties that do the same.

When we got unloaded at the Hut, they started to add 2 layers of head protection. When they were ready for their tanks, there was a small oval for their eyes (to be covered with their mask) and another oval for their mouth, where their air would go.

But while they were doing all this, we were surprised several times by a smallish Weddell seal coming to the surface to breathe deeply of oxygen and blow-off carbon dioxide. They were right there in front of us, maybe 4 feet away, for 1 to 1.5 minutes. Wow!

The divers eventually went in and were down for about 30 minutes and went down to 172 feet, almost the bottom at this point. While they were down, the two of us watched the Weddell come up every 5 or 6 minutes, though we're told they can stay down for up to 40 minutes at a crack. If they ever let their holes freeze over, they drown in that amount of time. It's probably over 200 miles to open, ice-free water. That's also where the Leopard seals live. The Weddells are pretty mellow, but the leopard seals have been known to pull a diver in and drown them, hence the name.

The question was asked about the famous Polar Plunge. Here it is strongly discouraged, but over at the Kiwi's Scott Base they do it frequently. Sea ice freezes at 28.5 degrees, making that very cool.

After that, the rest of the day was denouement, but the weather was clear and blue-skied by the evening. The mountains above town were starkly resplendent in snow and blowing snow ribbons.