April 2006

Zbyszek Dorenda

The idea arose in Leszek's head quite a long time ago, but only took final form after his return from the last dive in Mexico, where he and Krzysztof beat the world record in cave diving. Preparations took about 3 months. The dates were imposed by the climate. In April it is already quite warm, while pack ice is still stable. The other factor were the Russians, who monopolized the transportation around the pole.

We began by exploring the conditions that might be expected, completed the lists of personal, camp, dive, and all the other equipment, including food, fuel, etc. Since we had to reckon with ice thickness of up to 3m, ice drills and gasoline chain saws were prepared. Our stay at the North Pole was planned for 3-7 days, with the option to extend up to 10, in case of a bad weather. On the 2nd of April we flew from Warsaw to Oslo, then to Longvearbyen on Spitzbergen. There we met with Wojtek and Leszek. It took us two days to repack the equipment, train in setting up the tents on ice in the wind, and go for a trial dive in the fjord.

Where the screw in the globe sits

April 23rd, afternoon, we were meant to fly the An-74 to Barneo – a Russian base on ice, at a about 200 km distance from the Pole. That was supposed to happen, but the flights have no real schedule. Eventually, we left the next day. After a break in Barneo, we loaded the equipment to an Mi-8 and flew to the North Pole. The flight lasted about 40 minutes. We landed at a distance of 200m from the exact point. We found it on the GPS and walked to that place where on the globe there is a screw. Interestingly everywhere was due south ;-)

We flew about 5 km by helicopter, in the direction opposite to the drift - so that our dive be as close to the geographic pole as possible. We found a strong spine in the sea ice, which adjoined a gap filled with fresh ice. It would save us a lot of time. According to the plan, the camp was to consist of two base igloo tents and four small sleeping tents. Base tents were heated with fuel heaters. One served as a canteen, kitchen and social room, the second was a hardware and divers cloakroom tent.
We started to set up camp. Well-rehearsed procedures, excellent equipment and decent weather made it go very smoothly. We finished the day with a meal and 'highland tea' (of the alcoholic variety). The temperature dropped to -30 Centigrade. For the first time all, not counting Wojtek, had to sleep in such a low temperature. In the morning, we performed the ritual of melting snow for water and preparing the dive spot. Krzysztof had it covered. He raged with the chainsaw, and the result was a really decent 'pool'. The heated tent provided comfort before and after diving.

Diving in a sorbet

The first dive took place on April 25th. The debutante pair were Leszek and Krzysztof. The latter laden solid with photographic and film equipment. Periodically, air would come up through the cracks in the ice with a whistle. They circled as far as the 50m rope allowed, took a short photo session for the sponsors and after about 20 minutes they were already back on the surface. Computers have shown the temperature to be – 2 Centigrade. Interviewed on the spot, they emphasized mainly the experience of play of light not seen during previous under-ice dives. This is the result of the uplift and build-up of ice sheets. Diving in the 'sorbet' - a slurry of ice crystals in the frostbitten water – also felt new. Remek, Mirek and Ryszard entered next. Diving run was similar, as were their impressions. Last pair were Leszek and Zbyszek. Before the dive, we encountered an unforeseen problem. Despite heated tent condensate drains of our scuba compressor froze. It took some time before we managed the situation.

Tough time for the equipment

Dry suits, in which we had the pleasure to dive, were the product of both experience and latest technology. The new American blend has the same properties as those previously used in density and hardness. However, it beats its rivals in terms of stretch and tear resistance. Another advantage is the excellent heat transfer coefficient, which is 0.30 (previously 0.65). And the temperature range for this blend is -40 to +93 Centigrade. Apeks 50 and 100 regulators were selected for their resistance to freezing, which does not mean that we did not have problems. Quite often they would slightly "frost up", with a constant, but a small leak. But they worked, though at times they looked like balls of ice.

Doubles with manifold provided two independent sources of air, and/or one major source. They were also easier to transport. Unforeseen problems were encountered when using the wings’ inflators. Water got under the inflator, froze it and blocked. Fortunately, the problem did not affect the dry suits valves. Overall, however, the whole experience was a total success. But we had to race against time, because in the meantime the Russians have given Wojtek notice that they can come and pick us up the next day, or 3 days later.

Royal return

We decided to return the next day. This meant we had to break camp rather fast. The next day there was a strong deterioration in the weather. There came the fog so dense that the result of negotiations with the Russians was not obvious. The prospect of getting stuck for a few days was close, but fortunately they decided to fly. We heard a helicopter in the fog. In the end they raised a little higher, we saw them and guided them by satellite phone. Time for loading. It was hard to believe how much cargo and how many people fit in the helicopter.

In Barneo we took a break again. In the base – hustle and bustle as though it were market day. A stamp in the passport, some postcards, a little sleep and a flight to Longyearbyen. On the way back the pilot was flying so low that we could see the beautiful rock formations carved by glaciers. Our return coincided with the visit of King Harald V on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the city, so we had some problems with accommodation. But still, it was better than a tent on the ice. We also appreciated the bath and the Russian rendition of Norwegian cuisine. During our trip to the North Pole all the snow had disappeared from the Spitzbergen coast. This forced us to abandon the previously planned snowmobile tours around the island. On April 29 we were already heading home. We left behind the beautiful scenery, unforgettable adventure and, as Jack London wrote, the ‘bear meat’.

First Polish diving at the North Pole Spitsbergen, the North Pole, 20-29 April 2006

Geographic North Pole

The Geographic North Pole, also known as the True North. This is the northernmost point on Earth, determined on the basis of its rotation. The axis of rotation of the planet passes through this point. It has a fixed location - latitude 90° N. On the Northern geographic Pole there is no land. The Ocean is, most of the time, covered with thick ice.