In contrast to a deserted and deserted Antarctica, the world under the ice there is as vibrant and diverse as any tropical sea.
Tens of millions of years ago, during a continental rift, Antarctica split apart. With an average temperature of -25°C, it freezes completely. The strong water flowing from West to East Antarctica also becomes a solid wall, preventing the entry and exit of living creatures.
By the 20th century, the attempt to go as far south of the Earth as possible was made by many explorers. The further south it gets, the warmer it gets, so one is sure that Antarctica must have a “dream survival spot” . And like the disappointment of going to the North Pole, the South Pole is nothing but ice and snow.
Antarctica has layers of ice that are meters thick.
There’s nothing on the ice, so what about below it? Antarctica possesses layers of ice meters, even kilometers, thick, so life underneath that ice has always been a mystery to science. And they decided to make it happen.
Deep diving in the Antarctic sea was tested early, but encountered many difficulties. The temperature below the ice is always minus. Without proper diving equipment, a diver would lose his life within 10 minutes.
It took up to 2 years to prepare, Mr. Laurent Ballesta – a French expert – to decide on the diving spot. He circled the Dumont d’Urville area with a radius of 9.7km. With his expedition team, Ballesta successfully conquered the deepest diving in Antarctica ever – 70m.
Using a rock drill, the Ballesta team punched a hole in the 3m-thick ice, dropping a luminescent string to mark the location.
Diving suits are specifically designed to ensure heat retention. It consists of 4 layers, the outside is a 1.3cm thick waterproof rubber layer, next is a fleece layer, an electrically heated bodysuit, and finally a thermal lining.
One of their diving suits weighs a total of 91kg, as bulky as an astronaut’s outfit.
Ballesta’s dive site was so cold that by the time he got into the water, the crater had already begun to freeze. Although he had dived deep in South Africa to photograph rare coelacanths, and swam for 24 hours off the coast of Fakarava (France), he was still startled and worried.
“The weight of the costume makes swimming almost impossible, but without it, the divers would lose their lives,” Ballesta said.
At -1.7°C below the ice, sea water is still liquid, but it makes the body extremely painful because of the cold. In return, he was able to see a real fairyland.
Beneath the Antarctic ice.
Although she was very scared when she saw the ice hole on her head close her mouth, Ballesta immediately forgot about it when there was a beautiful scene like a fairy world in front of her. After a long winter, the plankton is still sleeping, the Antarctic seabed is endlessly blue without a cloud. Light filtered through the crack in the ice, illuminating the vastness.
The giant starfish crawls slowly, each child is 40cm big.
At a depth of 9-15m, kelp looks like a “thick garden” , leaves up to 3m long floating. The giant starfish crawls slowly, each child is 40cm big. The sea spiders are also not inferior, just counting one leg is enough for over 10cm.
At a depth of 50m, the Antarctic seabed is covered with seabeds and shells. Antarctic scallops are also extremely large, with an average size of 10cm, the “youngest” is also about 40 years old. Sea lilies thrive. Giant water bugs crawl around, feeding around.
At a depth of 50m, the Antarctic seabed is covered with seabeds and shells.
At a depth of 70m, colorful corals and sponges bloom, as lush as any tropical sea. Fish hide in coral clusters, shellfish show off their bulky armor, even the invertebrates are extremely large.
On top of Ballesta penguins, seals swim to feed and play. Five hours passed quickly. Ballesta had to “pay the price” with 7 months of recovery, but he was happy.
Kelp grows leaves up to 3m long.
“A fierce but worthwhile dive” – Ballesta boasts. It is possible that one day, he will return to this place again, breaking the record of deep diving ever conquered by himself.