At 07:30 the alarm sounded. The Weddell field camp was in distress. Special Field Agents Dan, Jess, and myself were dispatched for the mission. We grabbed our survival bags and rushed out into the inhospitable Antarctic wilderness. Fortunately our fully fueled and ultra high tech. Stealth Spryte was parked only 3 frigid steps from our door. As you may have noticed from the preceding photo this is a slick vehicle. Sprytes are super turbo charged machines. With sleek boxy curves and an intricate orange camouflage pattern we are able to maneuver through the indigenous inhabitants with out being detected. The nearsighted and colorblind penguins can be a cunning bunch.
As we raced across the barren sea ice at 3,000rpm’s our stomach tensed with anticipation. This, as with most of our mission, was highly classified. All radio transmissions had been kept to a minimum. Our elite GA Force frequently operates strictly on a need to know basis. It was not until we reached our final destination at Weddell World that we were to learn the true nature of our mission.

During the last few days the region has been besieged by extreme high winds and drifting snow. This storm became so fierce that it was still holding the residence of Weddell World hostage. Our mission was to excavate and liberate the research team, as they were being held against their will by this wall of snow.

We caught this seal with out much difficulty. As they have no natural predators seals are unafraid of humans. When the seals are not hunting or playing in the water long naps consume much of their time. During these moments we can walk right up to them and place a cover over their eyes and coax them in to a sled. In theory it should also be a simple task to get them out of the box. This seal however was not one of the cooperative types.

As we worked for 2 hours trying to get this guy out all I could think of were the days of loading up the pigs in the back yard. I believe my years of experience in this department were influential in my selection for this operation. We tried just about everything we could to get this guy out but he would not budge. The scientists flailed about for a while with the seal. As this was not producing results I drew on my field experience and proposed a solution. During the pig campaigns I remember utilizing a secret weapon, The Pig Pot. I figured an equivalent enticement would lure our seal out, so off I went to catch some fish.

While standing on the edge of an ice burg I changed into my fishing clothes and pulled in some seal bait.

A little snack was all that was needed to get this guy moving again.

Once we had him out of the trailer we weighed him in this sling. A slim 900 some odd pounds. To encourage cooperation during the weigh in a sedative had been injected. For the next few hours the seal would be fitted with the backpack that contained all of the recording equipment. As this process was highly classified we were dismissed to the lounge for a coffee break.

Once the equipment had been fitted we monitored the seal until the sedatives wore off. During this time we took turns going down into the Observation Tube. This is the same tube that appeared on the last page of Aqua Magazine last month.

Squeezing down the 30-foot tube was a challenge especially with the numerous layers I had on. Once I reached the bottom I had to wait for my eyes to adjust from the intense brightness of the surface to the darkness of the depths. As I waited I thought about where I was. I was sitting on a stool in a windowed box slightly larger than myself. An entire ocean chilled to 28 degrees, which dropped beneath me approximately 2,000 feet, surrounded this. Just above my head floated the 18-inch by many hundred square miles of sea ice. Believe it or not this is the most peaceful place I have been to on the continent. With in a few minuets my pupils expanded to reveal this amazing sight….

Weddell World is a world apart.