You swing your legs into the hatch, then climb down a three-rung ladder into the middle of the sub to find your assigned seat. To transfer from the Zodiac to the submarine, you have to hold onto a metal bar, climb out of the Zodiac, and sit down on the edge of the submarine hatch. For now, the sites will always be in Canadian waters-because Viking is Norwegian, the Jones Act disallows them from deploying subs in the United States. You take Viking-owned Zodiacs (military-grade rigid inflatable boats) to a predetermined dive site that the scientists onboard the ship picked out that morning. (So even when the safety boat radioed our pilot, Peppe from Sweden, and said, “You’re a little close to the rocks, but that’s as good a dive site as any,” I decided to trust the marine scientist.) Photo by Jennifer Billock Up above you, the sub is followed by a safety boat with a team that ensures the surrounding waters stay clear and everyone is safe beneath the surface. Onboard, you’ll find directions on what to do if the pilot goes unconscious, supplemental oxygen hoods, a big green button to push if the sub needs to surface immediately, and a program that tells the submarine to surface if it doesn’t detect any activity from the pilot. If you’re like me (that is, both claustrophobic and afraid of drowning), you’ll be happy to know that the subs are awash with safety features. NOAA eventually plans to tack instruments to the bottoms of the submarines to get more detailed information about the water, the lakes, and the lakebed. They’re typically used as research vessels to take information back to the Octantis’ science program, which works in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The submarines are equipped with lights, cameras, and some handy claws to pick up anything valuable the pilot sees on the lakebed. The seat platforms swivel so you can look out over the lake floor instead of staring at the pilot and other passengers. It’s a small space (you can’t stand up straight), but you can hardly tell once you’re in the water. Each side of the submarine has three very comfortable seats for passengers, surrounded by glass domes that allow optimal viewing at the dive site. The Beatles can go down to about 1,000 feet and stay underwater for eight hours. Can you guess their names? If you picked John, Paul, George, and Ringo… you’re absolutely right. Whether you’re overcoming your own childhood experiences or you’re just an adventurer at heart, here’s what to know about going on a submarine expedition in the Great Lakes. Though guests can participate in science-research activities like microplastics research, bird-watching, and weather balloon launches, it’s also just really cool to dive in a submarine. The expedition allows guests on the Viking Octantis ship to see one of the great lakes from the other side of the surface. My small group and I were passengers on one of Viking Cruises’ newest itineraries, the Great Lakes Explorer. Someone noticed and pulled me out of the pool, and that relief was enormous.īut here I was again, as an adult, watching sediment from the bottom of the lake swirl up around me. As you can probably guess, I was eventually saved. The pool was choking me, I was suffocating, and the fear of death was right in my face. Despite kicking and fighting to swim back to safety, I could feel the water overtaking me, bubbling up over my head as I sank down. I remember how, as a middle schooler, I got pulled deeper and deeper into a wave pool until every wave sucked me underneath just long enough to choke on a gurgly mouthful of water. Though the first two times I was too young to now recall, the third time was in Wisconsin and the sensation has stuck with me. After all, I’d nearly drowned three times in my life. When the waves of Lake Huron closed over my head as I sank down to the bottom of the Great Lake, I admit I was a little panicky.
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