Longyearbyen shakedown
Today's report: Taking the plunge | Dive chief takes charge
Taking the plunge
Dive supervisor Pete West takes the Oceans team through their first test dive in the relative safety of a harbour in Longyearbyen before they head off into the Arctic wilderness. Pete's job is to oversee these test dives (known as a shakedown dive). The purpose of a shakedown is to expose divers to the conditions they'll encounter later on during the expedition. This first test is being used to check equipment and help Tooni, Lucy and Philippe get to know the specialist kit used at these cold temperatures (the waters around Svalbard are about 1.8ºC). Because of the extreme and dangerous conditions there will be more of these essential checks before the team make an actual dive under the pack ice.
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Dive chief takes charge
Diving in the Arctic's extreme conditions requires top notch underwater expertise. With nearly 37 years experience under his dive belt, supervisor Pete West talks about his role on the team and the life saving techniques he's been teaching them.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions
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