A few weeks ago, we reviewed Below Freezing: The Antarctic Dive Guide. This colorful, excellent Guide -- really, the only Guide of its kind -- is written by Lisa Eareckson Trotter, the first person to learn to dive in the Antarctic and a long-time crew member aboard Lindblad Expeditions' Endeavour. After reading the book, it became clear to me that she has a deep respect and appreciation for diving in Antarctica's icy waters. As a confirmed warm-water diver, I had lots of questions for her. How did she get involved in Antarctic diving? What was so compelling about this bitter environment? Rather than wonder what motivated her to keep coming back, year after year, I decided to ask her.
To that end, Lisa Trotter is the first person to be profiled on Divester's new feature, "10 Questions for...". From what brought her to Antarctica in the first place, to what it's like being a female in (arguably) a male-dominated activity, Lisa provided some great insight to our questions.
Divester: What brought you to Antarctica?
Lisa Trotter: I was supposed to be taking a year off from University, preparing to apply for medical school. My grandparents (who raised me) brought me on a family trip with them, boarding the National Geographic Endeavour in Portsmouth England continuing to Lisbon, Portugal. I had never been at sea before, but from the moment I stepped onboard the ship, feeling it rock gently beneath me, it was like being home. I had never been more comfortable in a space in my life. The travel bug had bitten me many years before this trip, so I thought the combination of the two would be a great way to spend my year off. I innocently inquired to the crew as to how they got into this line of work, and lo and behold, they said they had a position open as gift shop manager in Antarctica, if I would like to apply. I applied, and my gap year has extended to 7 years long.
Divester: What were your initial impressions of Antarctica and how have they changed?
LT: My first thoughts about Antarctica . . . Actually a tough one for me. When I first learned that I got the job and was heading to Antarctica, I ran out and got Caroline Alexander's Endurance. This book created such vibrant images in my mind, that even before I saw the continent, I was absolutely hooked. When I finally stepped foot on Antarctica, once again it was like coming home (and this is not just because I am originally from Buffalo, NY where snow is a synonym). I have tried many times to put it into words, but there are so many aspects that have profoundly touched me, and given me "polar fever," as we call it. The pristine beauty, the profound silence (away from the penguin colonies), the majestic icebergs, the feel of the chilled wind in my face when driving Zodiacs, and of course, the underwater realm which has become deeply ingrained in and shaped me as a person. I said then, and I still say now, that I would spend the entire year there if I could, exploring, diving, and taking it all in.
Divester: What made you decide to learn to dive in Antarctica?
LT: I have been a water baby since I was born, swimming competitively through my teen years, as well as working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. However, I also had another passion and that was soccer. I played from the time I was 6 years old until I was 22, all year around. I had always wanted to take SCUBA courses, and actually signed up at one point during university, but found that my soccer practice schedule interfered, so had to drop it. When I embarked on Endeavour for the first time, I boarded in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We had a naturalist onboard named Dennis Cornejo, a NAUI instructor who was training a young woman to dive on the South American Coast. I heard about it, but Dennis can be a bit intimidating when you first meet him, and as a newbie I was a little nervous to approach him. However, one night the whole crew was out for dinner and drinks, and I finally plucked up the courage to ask if he would train me. He eyed me up and said "Fine, but you'll have to do it in Antarctica." Not knowing any better I happily agreed. My first "pool work" was done a few days later in the harbor of Punta Arenas, Chile desperately hanging onto the anchor chain in 2 knots of current, while trying to figure out buoyancy. Dennis and I have been dive buddies ever since.
Divester: What made you decide to write a dive guide about Antarctica?
LT: The original project that I was/am working on was to create a full benthic guide to Antarctica. You see, the most amazing aspect of Underwater Antarctica, is that you never know what you will find. Most of the National base work is situated in only a 5 mile radius, leaving rather large areas unexplored. With Endeavour, we get access to the entire Antarctic Peninsula (located below South America) for diving, and are able to gather a lot of information during the four months we are there. Expedition Ships are really the only ones who have liberties like this. Originally the book started as a categorization of the species we found at each site, but one afternoon about two and half years ago I was talking with some friends in the business about different dive sites; they said why don't I write a guide with all this information? It didn't take much to convince me to write, it seemed like a natural progression.
Divester: Describe the work involved in writing Below Freezing.
LT: For last six years (coming up on seven) I have been diving every austral summer in Antarctica, sometimes for the entire four months Endeavour operates down there. For the most part, I work with Dennis while I am there. Dennis is one of the Undersea Specialists onboard the Endeavour, which means he (and I) get to use the underwater equipment, including a small ROV, to bring back images to the guests onboard (the guests we work with love being able to experience this harsh environment, watching in the comfort of the lounge sipping a satisfying beverage). Dennis and I used to split the video filming, until two and a half years ago I moved over to still images. Throughout the time we collected countless hours of film, which was also edited down and put on DVD. You will see a lot of the images in the book are actually video stills, ones I captured from our DVD's. Each dive that I have made over the years, I have written down what I saw at each specific site. The diving and recollection was the easy part for the book. Then came the writing....
I had a lot of information to impart, one I felt it was important for the divers to know the significance of the spot they were diving: Was Shackleton there? Was it an environmental disaster site? These are all things that help your mind work while diving, and give you a better feel for the site. The next step was to try and describe the site and how it will look to the diver. You see in the book I have a quick picture guide for each site, this was a very late edition (much to my publishers chagrin) as I didn't feel the text was giving enough, and for those who are running dive trips down there they just want a quick look to see if they can offer it is as a check-out dive or if it is more advanced. The writing started as something very basic, and then evolved into what you are seeing now.
The pictures that are in the book come from a choice of 450, mostly done by us onboard, either à la video or camera stills, or there are also some contributions by some of my friends who are in the business. The editing process was difficult, especially as each site has its own special creatures. But in the end and after some back and forth, we edited it all down and got the right creatures in the right sites. I would love to give a shout to my friend Martin Enckell who has the cover shot. At the time we had never met each other, but when he heard I was putting together this guide, he sent me all of his brother's and his pictures, pro bono, without batting an eye.
However the book would never exist without WILDGuides. As you know they are a publishing company in the UK that is dedicated to environmental conservation. They had already published two of my colleagues in the Falkland Islands (Debbie Summers), and South Georgia (Kim Crosbie and Sally Ponce). When I first made contact with WILDGuides it didn't take long to see that we were a good match, especially as they already had a vested interest in the Southern Ocean, albeit they had never published a dive guide. Kudos to them for taking a new journey with me.
Divester: Diving in Antarctica seems very "macho." Do you ever have people dismiss you because you're a woman?
LT: Funny you should ask this, because it is a running joke amongst my closest piers that I am "more like man than woman." I suppose I had better explain this, lest you think that I have a mustache. A couple of years ago I was working on a Russian Icebreaker. Russian sailors particularly like women who are a bit princess-y, meaning they do not drive Zodiacs, and they do not stay at helicopter base stations lifting gear for 12 hours at a time. It was New Year's Eve (a night when I was actually princess-ed out) when the second engineer came up to me and said "Lisa you more like man than woman, but I'll dance with you anyway." Not the first time I have been accused of being a Tom Boy, and in light of where I was working I took it as a compliment.
Antarctica is such a harsh place to begin with, so most woman are on the same level as the men who work there (I still wouldn't call it macho though). I would say in general we woman are definitely a strong bunch, as we are dealing with logistically difficult and possible life and death scenarios (mainly due to the harsh conditions of the continent), while being congenial to guests 18 hours of the day. As far as Antarctic divers go, there are not many women who dive there, but then again there are not many men who dive there either. We are a special crowd, and each of us respects each other regardless of gender.
Divester: What is your favorite aspect of diving in Antarctica?
LT: My favorite part about diving in Antarctica is that you never know what you will find. It happens more often with the ROV (remotely operated vehicle), as this little machine can go to 500 feet, and record creatures that have only previously been dredged – usually arriving at the surface in mushy pieces. However, even in diving, we come across a new sponge or anemone that is not identified or categorized in any of the current "benthic guides." Matter of fact I am still awaiting comments on a many armed anemone from 3 years ago, and a sponge from this last season
Divester: What would surprise most people about Antarctic diving?
LT: When I talk about Antarctic diving, or show pictures, I think what surprises people most are the colors and diversity of creatures. A common misconception about the Antarctic benthic community is that because the water is so cold, it is void of life. Nothing could be further from the truth; the Southern Ocean is some of the richest water on the planet, holding one of the highest levels of nutrients on the planet, therefore supplying a vast number of creatures with food. Yes there are some areas that are scraped clean weekly by large icebergs, but in most areas you have bright orange, yellow, and red anemones, purple sea cucumbers, red and yellow sea spiders, and crinoids by the thousands.
Divester: What's your next project?
LT: My next project is the continuation of the original project, the reason Below Freezing began in the first place, a complete benthic guide for the Continent of Antarctica. In order to do this, the different National Diving Programs and Research Organizations have to be contacted and brought together, which can be a bit of a daunting task, but I believe it is a worthwhile and productive project for all benthic researchers worldwide.
Divester: You've just won an all-expenses paid dive trip to anywhere on the planet. Where do you go and why?
LT: If I had an all expense paid diving trip, I would go to the most remote areas of Antarctica, specifically the Phantom Coast and the outskirts of the Ross Sea. I have been through this area by Russian Icebreaker, but not able to dive. However, seeing what the coastline and visibility looked like from the Zodiacs and helicopters, I often pine for the chance.
