Scuba Diver Ocean Planet Issue 06/2016 | Page 29

06 All these concerns seem to float away once you enter the icy water. However, of course it is critically important to remember and follow the special ice-diving safety rules no matter how mesmerising the view. For example, in –2°C water avoid using the regulator at the surface, since the risk of freezing is greatest there. During the dive, it is recommended to switch every five minutes between the two main regulators, which are on independent first stages, to keep them flowing well. By following all the safety instructions of the highly experienced guide, guests will get a unique and incomparable diving experience. Shortly after descending under the snow covered ice, darkness quickly surrounds us. After a while, our eyes become accustomed to this completely unfamiliar environment and a new, surreal world emerges ahead. At some points, the snowpack is less dense and the area becomes slightly illuminated. Small icebergs reveal unsuspected structures below the surface. Sometimes they are sharp-edged, almost crescentshaped, then again round and smooth as a giant bowling ball. One never tires of discovering these whimsical shapes and 04 A diver swims along structures, which also shine in an iceberg with the a world of different colours. boat on the surface, Tasiilaq Fjord Shades range from white 05 A diver inspects a grey to deep blue, which massive iceberg occurs only in very strongly 06 Ice structures pressed ice, as is the case resembling a claw beneath the frozen with the Greenland ice sheet. Semalik Fjord Everything is surrounded by a water colour ranging from dark green to deep black in the depths of the fjord. One feels transported deep into a cave inside a mountain. Due to the low visibility owing to the increasing amount of melt water and the dark conditions, the divers can explore only small sections, secured by a line leading the way to the exit hole. The risk would be too great if the divers travelled further. “We have never had a diving accident, but safety always comes first,” stresses Gust. In the remote wilderness of Greenland, safety is extremely important, because the next pressure chamber is in Reykjavik, Iceland, two hours flight away, and that is after you vacate the fjord area to the nearest airstrip. The fjord dives require quite a