Welcome,
I would like to provide the members of this sub forum a short dive log of my expereince with Force Fins. Enjoy and I hope this inspires you to share your experiences too.
It was July sixth 2007 when the three of us entered
the Chukchi Sea 20 miles offshore of Point Pay, Alaska
69 degrees 4428North 163 degrees 031.
The quest: Determine what type of sea life exist under the
melting Icebergs. We slipped into the water and the quest began.
Three days earlier, the icebergs were only 10 miles offshore. Now, we were at mile 15 and we could just start to see their outline. At 22 miles offshore, we were next to the icebergs. That is how fast the icebergs move.
We took three slow circles around the icebergs in the boat during which I made the decision as to the safest place to begin the dive. By the articulated shapes of the massive structures there was plenty of evidence that some of these icebergs had been turning upside down and breaking apart.
All was quiet when I finished up the dive briefing, then the iceberg to our starboard stern dropped tons of ice from its exposed southern side. It was a fantastic phenomena to witness! An Ice wave surge rocked the boat. This was our queue. I instructed the camera operator to get in the water so we could record these icebergs melt before all eyes.
I directed the camera man to begin filming as the icebergs returned from their centuries old state and history merged with the sea. The team of three was using open circuit air, dry suits, of course, JMC SuperMasks and Force Fins - 2 pairs of the OPS (Oscillating Propulsion System made especially for our Ocean Futures Dive Team) and one pair of the Excellerating Tan Deltas, available to the public.
Under the surface the icebergs mimicked the ice above the water, caverns, holes and archways. Everywhere you looked unsecured tons of ice beckoned the team to investigate. The visibility was a murky, twenty feet with no big animals to be found. It seems the pinnipeds of the region knew these icebergs would not last the day.
Underwater life is amazing everywhere, but particularly in the arctic where it has adapted to survive in extreme cold and long periods of night and day. Most of the members of the Organized Water Community were present, from the small diatoms and salps to the much larger Artic Lion Mane Jellyfish. With twenty four hour sunlight the water was in bloom with phytoplankton and took on an emerald hue that made the ice seem surreal, almost as out of place in the place it belonged. After five minutes passed underwater the emerald color reminded us of how far away from home we really were. Excitement and sadness often accompany me on expeditions as I watch life evolve, change, and sometimes disappear like the ice before my eyes.
We concluded the dive sequence with a very shallow dive to a depth of thirty feet. We filmed for over forty-five minutes with no problems. I am always the last diver on the boat. I pulled my OPS fins off and smiled, again the boat went silent. The iceberg we were just diving under sank below the surface. No more than a meter was left sticking out of the water. The only evidence of its existence was the still of its reflection.
I would like to provide the members of this sub forum a short dive log of my expereince with Force Fins. Enjoy and I hope this inspires you to share your experiences too.
It was July sixth 2007 when the three of us entered
the Chukchi Sea 20 miles offshore of Point Pay, Alaska
69 degrees 4428North 163 degrees 031.
The quest: Determine what type of sea life exist under the
melting Icebergs. We slipped into the water and the quest began.
Three days earlier, the icebergs were only 10 miles offshore. Now, we were at mile 15 and we could just start to see their outline. At 22 miles offshore, we were next to the icebergs. That is how fast the icebergs move.
We took three slow circles around the icebergs in the boat during which I made the decision as to the safest place to begin the dive. By the articulated shapes of the massive structures there was plenty of evidence that some of these icebergs had been turning upside down and breaking apart.
All was quiet when I finished up the dive briefing, then the iceberg to our starboard stern dropped tons of ice from its exposed southern side. It was a fantastic phenomena to witness! An Ice wave surge rocked the boat. This was our queue. I instructed the camera operator to get in the water so we could record these icebergs melt before all eyes.
I directed the camera man to begin filming as the icebergs returned from their centuries old state and history merged with the sea. The team of three was using open circuit air, dry suits, of course, JMC SuperMasks and Force Fins - 2 pairs of the OPS (Oscillating Propulsion System made especially for our Ocean Futures Dive Team) and one pair of the Excellerating Tan Deltas, available to the public.
Under the surface the icebergs mimicked the ice above the water, caverns, holes and archways. Everywhere you looked unsecured tons of ice beckoned the team to investigate. The visibility was a murky, twenty feet with no big animals to be found. It seems the pinnipeds of the region knew these icebergs would not last the day.
Underwater life is amazing everywhere, but particularly in the arctic where it has adapted to survive in extreme cold and long periods of night and day. Most of the members of the Organized Water Community were present, from the small diatoms and salps to the much larger Artic Lion Mane Jellyfish. With twenty four hour sunlight the water was in bloom with phytoplankton and took on an emerald hue that made the ice seem surreal, almost as out of place in the place it belonged. After five minutes passed underwater the emerald color reminded us of how far away from home we really were. Excitement and sadness often accompany me on expeditions as I watch life evolve, change, and sometimes disappear like the ice before my eyes.
We concluded the dive sequence with a very shallow dive to a depth of thirty feet. We filmed for over forty-five minutes with no problems. I am always the last diver on the boat. I pulled my OPS fins off and smiled, again the boat went silent. The iceberg we were just diving under sank below the surface. No more than a meter was left sticking out of the water. The only evidence of its existence was the still of its reflection.
