by Christos Kardana, Big Blue Tech

The underwater world is a challenging one: both physiologically and psychologically. As a complex organism, all of our body’s vital biochemical processes have evolved over millions of years to a narrow set of pressures and temperatures that exist on the surface of the earth: where the human body has been designed to exist. As a technical diver, the moment you leave the surface and descend to depth, you are exposing your body to an environment so alien that the dramatic changes in ambient oxygen pressure and temperature can have a delirious effect on the body. The main centre of your focus suddenly becomes the application and execution of the pre-set methodology and techniques that have been drilled into you as part of your training, in order to conduct safely and efficiently the purpose of your dive – whether mission based or simply for fun.

This extreme type of diving is characterised by more equipment, more planning, more task loading, more methods and more risks. Many technical divers choose to include the addition of a camera rig to this extensive list. This may be a video or photography unit, in many cases encompassing a complex lightning system and battery pack. Underwater camerawork is difficult and frustrating as it is, even in perfect conditions within the recreational diving range (above 40m). So why add this burden to a complex technical dive? For the same reasons any individual takes photos or video: for documentation, surveying, scientific purposes or simply satisfying the artistic vein. The fact remains; for the segment of divers that crave deeper and darker environments; there are camera opportunities with deep coral reefs, beautiful wrecks, inspiring caves and sea creatures simply not present within the shallower depth ranges of diving.

Using a camera on a deep technical or cave dive can be challenging and difficult, but of course not impossible. Renowned technical diving photographer Leigh Bishop and videographer Evan Kovacs have proven this on many occasion. In a physically demanding environment, the key to successful deep diving camerawork is equipment, psychology and the correct handling and execution of the camera itself. At these depths, standard recreational housings are of no use, with most allowing a maximum depth rating of 40m. The drastic reduction of light means you have to pay even more consideration to shutter speeds, focus, filters and lighting than at shallower depths, were the sunny crystal clear water and auto function work hand-in-hand to produce a ‘more than decent’ shot.

At this level of diving, with regards to equipment, the planned dive in question will require extra cylinders (travel gas or decompression tanks) usually attached via a dog clip system to the divers harness. As a self-sufficient diver you will also have the availability of redundancy equipment, checked for function and efficiency ready to be used in any emergency or back up situation. Adding to this a deep camera system with lights, one has to consider its presence on the rig as a whole. Will it be clipped onto a D-ring to allow for a quick ‘ditch’?. Will the camera interfere with gauge reading, gas switching, team gas sharing (if the necessity arises) and the general function of the personal dive rig itself? The housings utilised on deep dives are designed with excessive pressure in mind and are big and bulky allowing for a full set of manual controls to be accessed and in many cases have to be operated using both hands. If the use of a reel, either for a back up buoyancy or surface marker purpose becomes necessary, it is imperative that the presence of the camera doesn’t pose an entanglement risk or even divert the divers attention away from the correct use of the reel itself. The most dramatic example being whilst in a cave diving situation, where the quick shot of a stalagtite formation diverts your focus so wholly that the line you were sure was but a few inches away from you has now suddenly disappeared from torch view and you have no access whatsoever to the cave exit!

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Holding the world record for distance travelled in underwater caves as well as being the first person to cave dive in an Antarctic iceberg, Jill has been at the top of her game for 20 years.

Expert at traversing pitch-black freezing tunnels, full-time cave photographer Jill carries up to 300 pounds of equipment with her on each expedition.

Using technology more advanced than average scuba diving gear, the Florida based adventure cave diver makes use of electric heated wetsuits and unique carbon dioxide recycling aqua-lungs.

“The images of me with my team from Antarctica still bring back the excitement of that unique expedition,” says Jill, who lives in the much warmer climate of High Springs in Florida.

“That was a National Geographic jaunt to the B-15 iceberg, which at the time was larger than Jamaica.

“The aim was to become the first people to cave dive in an active iceberg.

“To say that it was fraught with danger is an understatement.”

The 2001 trip was denied endorsement by the United States National Science Foundation because they deemed it too dangerous.

As a result they had to travel under the flag of New Zealand whose government accepted the risk of the party

Travelling the 12 days by boat from New Zealand to the Ross Sea area, Jill and her team including National Geographic photographer Wes Skiles entered the dramatic caves.

“The thing with the iceberg was that it was constantly moving,” explains Jill who works as a professional photographer and filmmaker in Florida.

“Entrances and creases were opening and closing as the iceberg went through the motions.

“What didn’t help as well was the -1.2 degree sea temperature, that was something else.”

Usually carrying up to £30,000 of torches, cutting tools, rope, special ‘re-breather’ aqualungs in triplicate on her cave journeys, Jill’s motto is to never be unprepared.

Due to the delicate nature of cave diving even a series of bubbles released from her aqua-lung could cause rocks or ice to dislodge and trap her.

“The most obvious thing that could go wrong is to get stuck, in the dark and without any idea which way you are facing,” says Jill.

“It sounds glib, but do not panic. If you do you increase your chances of dying dramatically.

“It is a real test of mind over matter.”

Stunned by her experiences in the pristine, unexplored Antarctic, Jill’s fame in the cave diving world has grown since the mid 1990’s.

“I have been scuba diving for twenty years, but when I broke the world women’s record for distance travelled underground, underwater, then my career really took off,” says Jill.

“I pushed 10,000 feet in a lateral movement 300ft down in the Wakulla Springs cave complex in north Florida in 1998.

“I was experimenting with a 3-D mapping device that cost the best part of £470 million.

“It is the technology that one day Nasa hope to send to the underwater caves of Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter.”

Living with her husband of three years Robert McCellen, Jill admits that he gets worried when she goes off on another adventure.

“We have an agreement,” explains Jill.

“I call him the minute I surface. That keeps his worry under wraps.”