Ice layer, which is almost 3 feet thick, always covers Lake Baikal during winters and till beginning of March that remains same. Lake Baikal is 400 mile long and 5,000 foot deep. But in next two months the sun will get brighter and the ice on lake will slowly start melting with a process punctuated by cracking sounds not unlike the sharp report of guns.
According to Russians this “Sacred Lake” is 25 millions years old and this is the oldest lake on the planet. It is also the deepest lake, holding more water than all of North America’s Great Lakes combined. The aquatic life of the lake comprises more than 1,500 animal species and 1,000 plant species, two third of which are found in this lake only. A marine scientist Andy Rechnitzer says that Baikal is biologically more diverse than other lakes in the world that’s because of its oxygen rich water, which circulates from its surface to its deepest depths, a process likely related to geothermal vents.
The most interesting animal in the lake is Baikal seal or nurpa, the world’s only fresh water seal. Nurpas use their sharp claws to carve dens for their families while ice is still forming. It’s easy to find their dens, only look for air bubbles trapped in the ice after being exhaled by nurpas. The small breathing holes can be seen also that drifted by seals.
Diving in Lake Baikal is totally different than diving in other warms waters. Here for diving a crewmember must use a small metal saw to cut a small hole in the ice. After that a circular manhole size opening is cut with a chain saw, and long poles are used to push the round slab under the ice, though the water is warmer than the air (36 degree F) but still its so much cold for scuba diving. That’s why every 30 seconds or so divers must tug on safety lines attached to their wrists to let the crew above know that they are all right. [click to continue…]
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