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Antarctic diving - Vortex Island
Diving in the Antarctic is like no other place. Dry suits keep out the cold, for a while, and allow the adventurous to see unique fauna.
Vortex Island is approximately 4 miles north east of Cape Lachman, close to Red Island, at the northerly tip of James Ross Island.
Jellyfish live in all oceans, from the surface to very deep water where there is no light. They have simple umbrella-shaped bodies that are soft and jelly-like, or gelatinous, without much internal structure. Most are at least partly transparent. They move by contracting their bodies and forcing water out the open end, pushing them forward. All jellyfish are predators: they have tentacles that carry stinging cells that they use to catch and eat smaller ocean animals, including copepods, krill, and larval fish.
Jellyfish grow extremely rapidly, up to 30cm across the bell (body) in about 12 months. They start life as a tiny polyp, looking like a tiny sea anemone. Many jellyfish live only one year or less. Others, like the huge jellyfish in the Antarctic, might live to be as old as 5 – 10 years.
Click to view the film of Desmonema Glaciale Probalis
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