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Are You Interested in Diving in Antarctica?


Scientific Diving
Various countries have research programs in Antarctica and some involve diving. Diving has been conducted in Antarctica by Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, U.S., etc. Depending on your nationality, you can contact your country's Antarctic program and its affiliated scientists to ascertain if there are opportunities in their research diving.

Norbert Wu's team did its diving under the auspices of the U.S. National Science Foundation's polar research program through its McMurdo Station. At McMurdo Station, diving is affiliated with scientific research programs. In other words, a diver goes to McMurdo with a scientist who has a grant to conduct research there involving diving work. The scientist lines up his/her divers among colleagues, graduate students, and others (some divers have contacted scientists offering free assistance). There is no application process through the National Science Foundation or McMurdo Station to be a diver.

For the U.S., who can you contact to see if scientific diving assistance is needed? The National Science Foundation maintains a database of all research programs they support in their Award Search system.

Connect to NSF's Award Search
Browse through it to read about U.S.-supported scientists and the type of Antarctic research work they are doing. Determine which projects might involve diving and then contact the scientists directly, offering your assistance. Someone who was recently supported for research in Antarctica may well be returning in the future so don't be overly restrictive in whom you contact.

Antarctic / Subantarctic Recreational Dive Operators
Recreational scuba diving is available through Antarctic scuba diving excursions. Antarctic recreational diving through commercial operators occurs on the Antarctic Peninsula and adjoining islands, under South America. Diving is usually in open water along coastlines, as well as near and under ice floes. At this time, recreational diving is not offered under the Ross Sea's thick overlying layer of frozen sea ice, as you see depicted throughout this Diving Under Antarctic Ice website.

WILDGuides [ www.wildguides.co.uk ] published a book entitled Below Freezing: The Antarctic Dive Guide by Lisa Eareckson Trotter, which may be of interest to you. Their book details 25 Dive sites on the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia with maps, photographs and descriptions, including sections of underwater photography, the history of Antarctic diving, how to choose and prepare for travel to these locations, and diving techniques. See this book's listing in the WILDGuides catalog.

Arctic scuba diving trips are also available, and are listed below. Arctic trips may fit a tighter budget and a tighter personal calendar. Arctic dive operators may also offer more of a "diving under ice" experience than offered by Antarctic dive operators.

Aurora Expeditions
Email: auroraex@auroraexpeditions.com.au
Web: www.auroraexpeditions.com.au

Big Animals Photography Expeditions
Email: phototrips@biganimals.com
Web: www.biganimals.com/

Condor Journeys & Adventures
Email: danielle@condorjourneys-adventures.com or gilles@condorjourneys-adventures.com
Web: www.condorjourneys-adventures.com

Eco-Photo Explorers
Email: ecophoto@optonline.net
Web: www.ecophotoexplorers.com

Forum International Travel
Email: fti@foruminternational.com
Web: www.foruminternational.com

Global Adrenaline
Email: info@GlobalAdrenaline.com
Web: www.globaladrenaline.com

Oceanwide Expeditions
Email: expeditions@ocnwide.com
Alternate Email: oceanwide@infohwy.com
Web: www.ocnwide.com/

South Atlantic Marine Services
Email: sams@horizon.co.fk
Web: www.tourism.org.fk/pages/sams.htm

Without peer, Sarag Vorwerk is an epic way to dive Antarctica
S/Y "SARAH W. VORWERK"
Web: www.sarahvorwerk.com
AGENCY GREAT BRITAIN:
Shearwater Sailing, John Stickland ANMI
Email: john@shearwatersailing.co.uk
AGENCY NETHERLANDS:
Silena Boersma
Tel/Fax: 31-20-6641489
OTHER COUNTRIES:
Henk Boersma
PO Box 61, 9410 Ushuaia, Argentina
Tel/Fax: 54 2901 434543
Email: sarahvorwerk@infovia.com.ar

Undersea What We See
Email: prodive@mediaone.net
Web: www.underseadive.com/

Vantage Adventures
Email: vantage@travelvantage.com
Web: www.travelvantage.com

Victory Adventure Travel
Email: sales@victory-cruises.com
Web: www.victory-cruises.com/Antarctic_ice_diving.html

Arctic Recreational Dive Operators

Arctic Kingdom
Email: adventures@arctickingdom.com
Web: www.arctickingdom.com/

Forum International Travel
Email: fti@foruminternational.com
Web: www.foruminternational.com/

Mad-Dog Expeditions
Email: info@mad-dog.net
Web: www.mad-dog.net/

Oceanwide Expeditions
Email: expeditions@ocnwide.com
Alternate Email: oceanwide@infohwy.com
Web: www.ocnwide.com/

Poseidon Arctic Voyages & Underwater World Group
Email: pankov@northpolevoyages.com
Web: www.northpolevoyages.com/eng/fza-programme.htm

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photograph ©Norbert Wu. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Norbert Wu.. Norbert Wu no longer grants permission for uncompensated use of his photos under any circumstances whatsoever; want more info?