Diving the Artic Circle

[scubachick1]

Hi,

I saw a few posting from members in Alaska and wondered if the dive shops you mentioned can set up a trip to dive the artic ocean? I thought diving the artic circle would be much more interesting than diving in the caribbean. Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Brandon]

The shop in Fairbanks would be the closest... we're about 125 miles off the Arctic circle, and about 500 miles from the Arctic Ocean.

I've never heard them discuss a trip up north. They focus almost entirely on warm water diving, with trips to Valdez/Whittier as necessary for certification. Lots of local stuff when the water's thawed (April-Early October).

There's some major logistic hurdles to tackle. The drive up to Deadhorse / Prudhoe Bay is murder on vehicles. You literally bring 3 spare tires and hope you have enough to get you there. The oil companies aren't particularly thrilled with having people up there, and you might not be able to get out onto the ocean (you have to cross through their property), without being part of a tour group. Used to be that way anyway... bout 2 years ago, might not be the case anymore.

So... what if you fly into Barrow or Prudhoe? That'd be somewhat more convenient... but still rife with problems. No local dive shop up there (would only be open 3 months out of the year), so you'd have to bring all of your own tanks. The fire department -might- have a compressor. So either way, you've got to get that stuff up there. Alaska Airlines Air Cargo could ship a dozen tanks and a compressor up there for around $500 (about a buck a pound)... so, it's not horrible.

I've looked at the charts for the area, and it's shallow (<20 feet) until quite a ways off shore.

So.. with all that said. I've heard the diving can be very nice. My University has done a lot of research up there, here a link to an article:

http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant/NewsMedia/02ASJ/10.04.02boulder_patch.html

I'd love to dive the Arctic Ocean, but I don't have the energy or knowledge to plan a trip up there.

Did I mention the polar bears?

 

[diversteve]

Hi,

I saw a few posting from members in Alaska and wondered if the dive shops you mentioned can set up a trip to dive the artic ocean? I thought diving the artic circle would be much more interesting than diving in the caribbean. Any ideas would be appreciated.

All it takes is money...Amos Nachoum just dove the North Pole. And he's going back with another group. See this month's Scubadiving p. 22 or http://www.biganimals.com/intro.html

 

[Brandon]

It could be done for a couple thousand dollars a person, leaving from Fairbanks, without much difficulty.

-B.

 

[scubachick1]

Brandon,

Thank you so much for the information. I did read about the difficulty going through Prudhoe Bay so I was checking out Barrow. Also, I am thinking about Kotzebue and then going to Nome.

 

[scubachick1]

All it takes is money...Amos Nachoum just dove the North Pole. And he's going back with another group. See this month's Scubadiving p. 22 or http://www.biganimals.com/intro.html

Thanks for the website information. I checked it out and it's fantastic. I added the site to my favorites. The Antarctica trip is very tempting.

 

[electric_diver]

Thanks for the website information. I checked it out and it's fantastic. I added the site to my favorites. The Antarctica trip is very tempting.

You might also want to check out Graham Dickson's company. He runs tours to the Canadian Artic. I met him at a conference last year. He seems to run a good expedition.

They depart from Ottawa so its a lot closer to Mass. than Alaska.

check out www.artickingdom.com

enjoy

 

[SubMariner]

Canada, eh?!

You may want to also take a look in this forum: http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=177

Bonne chance,

 

[Nehallenia]

Thanks for the website information. I checked it out and it's fantastic. I added the site to my favorites. The Antarctica trip is very tempting.

Why go there, when you can come here? Cheaper, warmer, more comfortable, spectacular scenery, even lots for the non-diver to do . . .

http://www.capebretondiving.net/
http://nswrecks.net/
http://www.trails.gov.ns.ca/
http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/default.aspx
http://www.sporting-mountain.com/Activities/Diving/diving.html
http://www.cbisland.com/index.php

And that's only the beginning . . .
The people here are incredibly friendly, too. If you need a dive buddy, check the club scedule:

http://www.geocities.com/cbdive1/wrecks.html

Check us out!

 

[Spratman]

If you're not opposed to going in the other direction, I think Scuba Diving has an add in it for an expedition that is mounting for the Antartic region. Seems to be it was pretty stiff though.

Jack