Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex is an underwater polar expedition that took place on the Arctic icecap near the geographical North Pole between the 26th of March and the 10th of May 2010.

The aim was to produce a photographic and videographic documentary on the marine world of the icecap. More than 20,000 pictures and 40 hours of film were collected over 45 days. Conditions were harsh (the air temp was between -1,8°C and -52°C) and the 51 dives occurred at depths comprised between the surface and -35m, with water temp averaging -1,8°C.

On top of this exploratory trip, two scientific programmes were undertaken - one focusing on the snow thickness on  ice, the other on human physiology through surveys of sleep and internal body temperature variations of the team members.

After three years of preparation and training in Finland and the Alps, the expedition was launched and the 8 members and a husky were taken to a point located about 65km from the pole.

The images that were brought back are breathtaking and bear witness of a lost world.

More on the website of Deepsea Under The Pole and their Facebook page.

© Thierry Robert - Ghislain Bardout / Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex