A Glance Under the Ice

Okay, so this was an awesome brief excursion I had no idea existed until this morning.  Each year, the divers (see previous post) set this up as a good deal for folks to check out.  It's called the "Ob Tube" or Observation Tube.  It is essentially a dive bell under 15 feet of Sea Ice suspended from above that allows anyone to crawl though the 18 inch wide hole for 15-20 feet and view some one of a kind views in this world--assuming you don't have to grease hips to get down and are not claustrophobic either.

I don't like to be redundant but this is a great video from Henry Kaiser and his dive team of the Ob Tube from the other side of the glass:

Looking up from under the water.

The windows once you crawl down are 360 degrees and you can stand up in the bell.  Surrounding you are millions of krill, tiny shrimp like critters that flourish in these sea life rich waters.  There weren't any large mammals about today but seals are all over the place usually.

The colors of blue are from another world.

More krill along the ice ceiling

My little friend looked surprised when I took his picture

Ice crystals growing on the outside of the glass.

Out Fishin'

Next to the tube was a dive hole / hut.  Inside we found one of the biology groups trying to collect samples, otherwise known as fishing.  It was a nice respite from out on the sea ice.  It was a balmy 75+ degrees inside.  Not too much luck at this hole, but at least they let me try anyways!  A cold beverage would have been nice,  but that will have to wait until later.

Climbing out of my hole! (Observation Hill is in the background)

Just a short note. Thought it would be neat to share. Enjoy!