During the few previous ice diving expeditions at the North Pole before, the divers disembarked at the Pole, dived, and then returned to the base camp.
With the new dive centre on the drift ice at the North Pole, divers live four days on the ice, and, as well as diving. Secured, serviced and dried out their gear in preparation for the next entry into the water.

Now, the first drift ice dive centre at the North Pole is developped which makes it possible to carry out a series of ice dives without the participants having to return to a base camp every day.
This unique possibilitiy openes up a new page in the history of Arctic exploration, and pushed back the boundaries of diving.

You will complete the ice dive cycles to depths of up to 15 m, spending an averag of 40 minutes under the water each time. The dives follow standard PADI ice diving practice.

In the few days of life at the Pole, you will see frost and sunshine, wind and snow; you see ice forming ridges, and 'rivers' appearing between diverging ice floes. In the amazingly clear water, the majestic ridges go down up to 15 m, breaking off in the icy black abyss.

You need to have a Padi Ice Diver certification, or certification from another international training system confirming that you have the skills required to pass the Padi Ice Diver course, and have done at least 100 dives, of which at least 40 in a drysuit and at least 20 ice dives.

You should be experienced with the basic diving skills required to pass the Padi Ice Diver course and be able to demonstrate the following skills while under ice:

=> clear water from one's mask;
=> swap one's main regulator for one's reserve regulator, and vice versa;
=> connect to one's dive buddy's reserve regulator;
=> perform an emergency ascent, breathing from one's dive buddy's reserve regulator;
=> be able to prepare a dive plan;
=> orientate oneselves under the ice, and use a safety line;
=> be able to control one's buoyancy;
=> be able to exchange signals with one's dive buddy and safety assistant; => be able to turn head over heels and return to a normal position under the ice

You have to go undergo training at the Arctic Circle Dive Centre on the White Sea, making at least 10 ice dives by at least 2 months before the departure for the Pole. The training programme for the participants in the expedition is due to take place half of March at the Arctic Circle Dive Centre. This dive series must be completed in full with the gear and equipment to be used at the North Pole, with the possible exception of the amount of weights: roughly 2 kg more are required at the Pole than in the White Sea due to the difference in salinity.

Be prepared for strenuous physical exertion and to observe expedition discipline.

You have to undergo an interview with the leader of the North Pole Diving Expedition.

It is extremely important that you, prior to coming on the trip, have acquired all the appropriate equipment needed for diving in Polar Regions, and that adequate training and experience is gained in the use of new and unfamiliar equipment. In order to avoid any unnecessary problems you should complete several dives with all the equipment you intend to use, prior to your voyage.

The equipment must include:

=> A mask, snorkel and fins
=> Two cold-water regulators with an international DIN-to-yoke tank adapter (each regulator must consist of one first stage, one second stage, a manometer, and a BCD or drysuit inflator). The regulators must be serviced by a qualified technician before the North Pole diving. (2 Cousteau D Glacia (or Supra Arctic) regulators, or other regulators with comparable non-freezing time)
=> A buoyancy compensator (BCD, preferably with an integrated weighting system); the BCD and drysuit valves must be dried out with a jet of compressed air.
=> A drysuit allowing comfortable diving for at least 40 minutes at a water temperature of about -1 degree Celcius (we recommend a drysuit with thermal insulation)
=>Gloves (we recommend three-fingered gloves 7 mm thick, or dry gloves with O-rings
=> A dive computer, showing the current minimum depth, the maximum depth, the diving time, and the time left until the no decompression limit

For further details on what to bring for your dive expedition, please check out the section on Diving Equipment, or contact our office for more details.

Water Temperature
The water temperature at the dive sites in April ranges from -1оС to -1.8оС.

Terrain and Depth
The water at the dive sites is thousands of metres deep. The divers are surrounded by ice blocks that go down 10 m or more under the sea.

Visibility
The exact visibility at the dive sites is difficult to determine. It is greater than 70 m.

Salinity
The salinity at the dive sites is about 32.

The diving takes place in natural leads (linear areas of open water) at least 20 m wide, or in a mania cut into young ice about half a metre thick. The diving is done in buddy teams. Each diver ties the safety rope around his/her waist and holds it, having wrapped it once around his/her hand. A tender on the surface holds the rope, and the end is secured by an ice-screw. At least 5 people are involved in each dive: two underwater and three on the surface (two tenders and one ice monitor). The maximum permissible dive depth is 25 m.

· Warm underwear (two-layer or Polartec) and warm socks
· A warm jumper
· Warm waterproof footwear
· A warm cold-weather jacket
· A warm hat covering the ears
· Sunglasses with UV filters for eye protection on sunny days
· Lip gel and hand and face cream to protect against the cold and wind

We recommend that you bring:
· A torch (preferably battery-powered)
· A compass

For more detailed information on what to pack for your Polar Expeditions please check our section Travel Resources Travel Resources.

2 tents with gas heaters are set up next to the dive site. In one, which contains all the gear, the divers get changed. The other has a gas stove for making hot meals, coffee and tea. Here, the divers rest after diving, eat and drink hot drinks.