In their latest update from Greenland, the Under the Pole team share their adventures, which included violent Arctic winds, and a memorable Christmas party.
“We say that the Arctic is the school of patience,” writes expedition leader, Ghislain Bardout in his latest newsletter. “It takes us 20 minutes of preparation to get out the boat, one hour to remove the snow from the deck every morning, four hours to prepare a scuba dive, and we haven’t seen the sun in four months.”
This is a day in the life of Ghislain Bardout and his team of French explorers, as they wait patiently for spring to arrive and continue their ambitious scientific expedition off the Greenland coastline.
Diving base camp next to the iceberg. © Lucas Santucci / Under The Pole
He says: “While we waited for the sea-ice and sun to come out, we had some great Christmas parties at Uummannaq. And New Year’s Eve was one of the best we’d ever experienced: locals launched hundreds of fireworks into the sky – it became a magical show above the snowy city.”
The team then headed to their winter location and had a three-day stopover at Ikerasak to lend the locals a hand. “Véronique, our physician, examined several local people, and Sylvain, our fixit man, repaired the local school’s informatics network.” Ghislain says.
January proved to be a difficult month for the team, as they endured several days of violent Arctic winds, halting all activity. “We registered averages of 50 knots and gusts up to 80 knots. It’s in these kind of situations that we’re happy to have two anchors!” adds Ghislain.
The team is now planning for the next leg of their exhibition – the sea-ice scientific program.
Under The Pole is a series of submarine polar expeditions aiming to explore the hidden face of the Arctic and Antarctic Polar Regions in their diversities. Suunto is an expedition partner.
Main image ©Under The Pole