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Arrangements for diving with whales, seals and birds
The dive sites are rocky island slopes overgrown with kelp. These may be steep walls jutting out up to 30-40 m or gentle ridges –in any case you will see new underwater landscapes besides birds and seals.
Whales, like the majority of sea mammals, do not like divers, or, to be precise, the bubbles they make. This is why it is possible to come close to a whale using only snorkelling gear.
Diving with guillemots and puffins takes place right next to the birds’ colonies, where they nest. And for diving with seals, we choose their most convenient rookery sites. To avoid disturbing the animals, we go from the Kartesh to the dive site in inflatable boats.
The whole time groups are underwater or on the surface, safety boats are nearby.
You can dive as often as you want. The number of dives is limited only by your strength and common sense.
Why is the duration of the programme limited?
Spring in the North is short, but action-packed. When the ice goes from the White Sea, herds of harp seals migrate to the Barents Sea. Only then it is possible to observe pinnipeds, both from the liveaboard Kartesh, and swimming among them.
In the Barents Sea killer whales lie in wait for seals. Each year killer whales come into these waters for the easy pickings available from the young harp seals. At the same time, sand eels, which spend most of the time buried in the sand, gather in huge shoals close to the surface. This attracts all the fish-eaters –white whales, minke whales, seals and birds. But by the beginning of June the feast is already coming to an end. The whales and dolphins head off on their journeys, and the harp seals leave for the deep Arctic regions.
Requirements for programme participants
Level of certification: at least PADI Advanced Open Water, or a similar level from another federation. Good buoyancy control is a must.
Even in the summer, the water temperature does not exceed 7°C. This entails certain requirements of the diving equipment. Divers must have two regulators; the first-stage regulator should desirably have a dry, ‘winter’, chamber. For comfort underwater we strongly recommend dry suits. Wear warm gloves –your hands should not be cold.
The frequent strong currents and waves make a surface marker buoy and whistle advisable.
