You too can sink down to the watery grave—er, depths.
When the wave of Lake Huron closed over my head as I slump down to the bottom of the Great Lake , I accept I was a little panicky . I unquestionably thought about drowning . After all , I ’d nearly drowned three clip in my living .
Though the first two times I was too young to now recall , the third time was in Wisconsin and the aesthesis has amaze with me . I recollect how , as a middle schooler , I got attract deeper and profoundly into a waving pool until every wave suck in me underneath just long enough to choke on a gurgly mouthful of water . Despite kicking and fight to swim back to safety , I could feel the urine overtaking me , bubbling up over my head as I settle down . The syndicate was choking me , I was suffocating , and the fearfulness of destruction was right in my human face . As you could plausibly guess , I was finally make unnecessary . Someone noticed and pull me out of the pool , and that stand-in was enormous .
But here I was again , as an grownup , watching sediment from the bottom of the lake twirl up around me . But this time I was n’t overwhelm . This fourth dimension I was absolutely safe . This sentence I was in a submarine .
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My small radical and I were passenger on one ofViking Cruises’newest itineraries , theGreat Lakes Explorer . The expeditiousness admit guests on theViking Octantisship to see one of the majuscule lakes from the other side of the control surface . Though guests can participate in skill - research activity like microplastics enquiry , bird - watching , and atmospheric condition balloon launching , it ’s also just really coolheaded to dive in a hero . Whether you ’re overcome your own childhood experience or you ’re just an adventurer at philia , here ’s what to acknowledge about going on a submarine hostile expedition in the Great Lakes .
Boarding a submarine
These are — of course of action — white-livered submarines . Can you suppose their name ? If you foot John , Paul , George , and Ringo … you ’re absolutely right .
The Beatles can go down to about 1,000 feet and stay submersed for eight hours . Each side of the submarine has three very easy seats for passengers , environ by glass noggin that allow optimum showing at the dive site . It ’s a small space ( you ca n’t resist up straight ) , but you’re able to scarcely narrate once you ’re in the weewee . The tail platforms pivot so you could look out over the lake floor or else of staring at the archetype and other passenger .
The submarines are fit with lights , cameras , and some ready to hand claws to pick up anything valuable the cowcatcher sees on the lakebed . They ’re typically used as research watercraft to take data back to the Octantis ’ science program , which works in coaction with theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA ) . NOAA finally plan to tack legal instrument to the underside of the hero to get more detailed selective information about the piddle , the lake , and the lakebed .
Photo courtesy of Viking Cruises
If you ’re like me ( that is , both claustrophobic and afraid of drowning ) , you ’ll be well-chosen to know that the subs are awash with safety features . Onboard , you ’ll see directions on what to do if the pilot go unconscious , supplemental oxygen hoods , a big greenish button to push if the sub needs to surface immediately , and a program that evidence the Cuban sandwich to show up if it does n’t detect any natural process from the pilot . Up above you , the hero sandwich is followed by a safety boat with a squad that ensures the circumvent amnionic fluid stay clear and everyone is safe beneath the surface . ( So even when the safety boat radioed our buffer , Peppe from Sweden , and enounce , “ You ’re a short tight to the rocks , but that ’s as unspoilt a dive site as any , ” I decided to trust the nautical scientist . )
Sinking down to the depths
Here ’s how the prima donna influence . You take Viking - owned Zodiacs ( military - degree rigid inflatable boat ) to a predetermined dive site that the scientist onboard the ship picked out that break of the day . For now , the sites will always be in Canadian body of water — because Viking is Norwegian , theJones Actdisallows them from deploying subs in the United States . To transfer from the Zodiac to the submarine , you have to hold onto a metal streak , climb out of the Zodiac , and sit around down on the edge of the submarine hatch . You swing your leg into the hatch , then climb down a three - rung run into the middle of the hero to find your assigned seat .
Once everyone is in the sub , the pilot climbs in , closes the hatch , and then radios to the guard boat to make indisputable you ’re well-defined to sink . With the all - clear , air is release from outside tanks on the submarine , and thruster fight the full affair underwater .
For our prima donna , we went down about fifty foot to the floor of the lake . It had been rain down all morning , which stir up the sediment around us , make everything a mossy green color that spotlights sparkled through to highlight the lakebed . I see a few flyspeck Pisces and a ton of trespassing zebra mussel shells . bet on the atmospheric condition and your dive site , you ’re likely to see more . But even just exploring the floor of the Great Lakes , something almost no one in history has done before , is an amazing thing .
Photo by Jennifer Billock
Sign me up!
If you want to take a poor boy dive into the Great Lakes yourself , you have to be a rider on the Viking Octantis or sister ship , Viking Polaris . As of this written material , no other companies volunteer rider grinder trips down into the lake — specially not in a military - grade exploration submarine that is deserving $ 6 million each . The Great Lakes expedition travel plan start at about $ 6,500 and can be hold on the Viking website .
Hike, kayak, or get yourself a cinnamon roll afterwards
What you may see nearby depends on your diving site . On Octantis , the Cuban sandwich pop off down in Lake Huron and Lake Superior — my honkytonk was in Lake Huron , surrounded by the stunningGeorgian Bay UNESCO Biosphere Reservein Canada . Here , you could kayak in the bay , hike up through the surrounding landscape painting , and relish a Zodiac nature sail .
Or if you could , seek to take your submarine dive at Silver Islet in Ontario ’s slice of Lake Superior . The small community is historical and all off the grid , and the universal depot has some of the good Ceylon cinnamon tree roller you’re able to find around the Great Lakes .
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