[Tomeck]

Preparation before Antarctica

At the beginning of 2007, after my disappointments in the life, I decided to go again to Antarctica with the diving. A Swiss agency existed and I could make in Switzerland. The reservation was more difficult than in 2004, there remained only one place in February 2007, I asked the same boat Grigoriy Mikheev as in 2004.

After my reservation, I was not talkative and I spoke very little to my friends about Antarctica. During almost a year, I had patience and I still did not speak, because I was not sure to be able to go again to Antarctica. The voyage in the Antarctic could never become ordinary, in spite of the increase in visitors. In the event of would cancellation, I be condemned to still wait one or two years, "it is now or never? ".

I had already all the equipment to get dressed under the polar wind in 2004 and the polar diving, because I often plunged to 4°C (40°F).

In summer 2007, I left to dive to Iceland, it was my first polar diving. I had much problem with the weight of the luggage for the plane, I were not well prepared. Fortunately, it was a flight charter and it was inexpensive for the surplus of the weight. With the experiment in Iceland, that enabled me to be useful for Antarctica.

November 23, 2007, one day before my birthday, I learned that a famous ship Explorer ran in Antarctica that put to me badly at ease. I wrote to my tour operator by e-mail, it answered me that it continued as usual.

In January 2008, my parents asked me where I will leave on holiday, I answered " Antarctica". They were surprised and they asked me why I did not say before, I answered them that I was not sure to be able to leave.

At the beginning of February 2008, I spent one weekend of diving under ice in Swiss Alps Lioson like a kind of small training. I still did not say to my friends of the club which I left for Antarctica.

Departure for Antarctica

February 21, 2008, I travelled by the Iberia planes from Geneva for Buenos Aires changing in Madrid. I had the right to a luggage up to 20 kg (44 lb) and a hand luggage up to 10 kg (22 lb). If I had an excess of one kilo (2 lb), I would pay 82 CHF (82 USD). It was enormous for me, I put many heavy things in my jacket to reduce the weight of the luggage. My BCD weighed 4 kg (8.8 lb) and it was too heavy, then I asked my club to lend to me a very simple BCD, used for the diving students, who weighed 2 kg (4.4 lb). My regulators weighed 2.5 kg (5.5 lb), then my mother kept them, during I did it check-in, after it brought them to me to put in my hand luggage which weighed more than 10 kg (22 lb). Before the control of x-ray, controller said to me that my hand luggage was too heavy, I were badly at ease, but it had badly with the back and asked me to carry, I were reassured a little. With the history of luggage, I was much stressed, I bought a French magazine "Questions and Answers" to calm me as in 2004.

I arrived at the airport of Madrid in the night. The control tower illuminated with lifts external of style hotel, it was picturesque. I waited five hours in transit before taking again a long-distance aircraft.
I found that the service of Iberia was less interesting than Air France, I could regret a little except if there were the strike. I was beside a Frenchwoman who said to me that it would prefer to take Iberia, because it found that there were too many strikes in the Air France.