The Antarctic Dive Guide

Lisa Eareckson Kelley began working aboard Expedition ships in 2000. Most at home in the polar regions, she spends over half the year in the Arctic and Antarctic. During the Austral winter of 2010, she was the station manager at Palmer Station for the United States Antarctic Program. Passionate about the future of Antarctic and Arctic tourism, she is an active member of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators.

Acknowledgements 5 A brief history of diving in Antarctica 6 The continent of Antarctica 9 Diving in Antarctica Planning your visit 12 The practicalities 17 What to expect 23 Leopard Seals - a scientific perspective 26 - a diver's perspective 32 The Sea Leopard Project 34 Underwater photography and videography in Antarctica 35 Other ways to capture the underwater realm of Antarctica 42 Common benthic life of the Antarctic Peninsula & South Georgia 44 Echinoderms (including sea stars, sea cucumbers, brittle stars and sea urchins) 44 Gastropods (including limpets and nudibranchs) 45 Ascidians (including tunicates and salps) 46 Worms 47 Fishes (including notothenids) 47 Cnidarians (including anemones, hydroids, jellyfish and soft corals) 50 Sponges 51 Algae 51 Sea spiders 52 Natural product chemistry from Antarctic marine organisms 53 THE DIVE SITES (see below for full list) 58 Guidance for visitors to the Antarctic 124 Marine Wildlife Watching Guidelines 126 Glossary 134 Photo credits 141 Suggested further reading 143 About the author 143 About the other contributors 144 THE DIVE SITES 58 How to use this guide 58 Key to icons used in the guide 58 DIVE SITES OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA 59 1Elephant Island, Point Wild 60 2Tay Head 62 3Paulet Island 64 4Bald Head, Crystal Hill 66 5Cape Well-met 68 6Cecilia Island and Barrientos Island (Aitcho Islands) 70 Deception Island 72 7Sewing Machine Needles (Deception Island) 73 8Neptune's Bellows (Deception Island) 74 9Whaler's Bay (Deception Island) 75 10Mikkelsen Harbor 76 11Hydruga Rocks 78 12Enterprise Islands - Governoren Wreck 80 13Orne Harbor 82 14Cuverville Island 84 15Neko Harbor 86 16Paradise Harbor - 'The Shag Wall' 88 17Port Lockroy (British Base A) 90 18Janus Island, Arthur Harbor - Bahia Pariso 92 19Booth Island 96 20Pleneau Island 98 21Petermann Island 100 22Prospect Point (British Base J) - Perch Island 102 23Detaille Island (British Base W) 104 24Stonington Island (British Base E) 106 DIVE SITES OF SOUTH GEORGIA 109 25Cooper Bay 112 26Godthul 114 27Grytviken, Cumberland East Bay 116 28Hercules Bay 118 29Prion Island 120 30Albatross Island 120 31Elsehul 122