Inside Look: Cold Water Expeditions

Go behind the scenes with French explorer Alban Michon while diving some of the coldest and most remote locations on earth

By Alban Michon

Many of us (fortunate) underwater photographers have traveled across the world to go scuba diving. We plan and book a trip, pack the gear, and then fly to a country where we are swiftly esorted into a resort or onto a liveaboard boat. The guides show us some great reefs and marine life, and before we know it, we're back on the plane heading home.

But what if you remove the soft resort and liveaboard beds? Take away the warm meals. And dive guides... what dive guides? This is becomes the world of dive expeditions.

French explorer Alban Michon is no stranger to dive expeditions. He has a resume that boasts several polar expeditions and is no stranger to diving beneath the sea ice and paddling up to a bleak (yet beautiful) camp site in a kayak.

Below we take a photo journey through some behind the scenes moments of Alban's expeditions.

Kayaking through impressive iceburg formations. Photo: Andy Parant

A quiet moment prior to descending under the ice at night in Greenland. A few minutes later I saw a Greenland shark! Photo: Andy Parant

Here I'm under the ice in Tignes, France. The bottom of the ice is developing relief due to the bubbles exhaled by passing divers. Photo: Andy Parant

In this shot I take a moment to play with the sun rays streaming though the skylight... the round hole dug in the ice. Photo: Andy Parant

My friend Vincent Berthet and I trace our journey on a map of Greenland at one of our base camps. Photo: Andy Parant

Large iceburgs make fantastic split-shots, like this one as we prepare to descend into the abyss. Photo: Andy Parant

Everything is OK under the ice in Tignes, France. Photo: Andy Parant

Calm weather allows us to paddle more than 20km/day during an expedition. Photo: Andy Parant

Motivated for your own dive adventure? We hope so!

Follow more photography from Andy Parant at Facebook.com/andyparantphotographer.

About Alban Michon

Alban Michon, French, 35, begins to dive at 11 years of age. In 1999, Alban becomes a professional diving instructor; in 2000 he opens his own ice diving school in Tignes (Savoie-France) and in 2005 he opens «Vasques du Quercy», an underground diving school near Rocamadour (Lot-France).

In 2010, he takes part in the polar expedition «Deepsea Under The Pole», and in 2012, he organises a second expedition, on the east coast of Groenland together with Vincent Berthet. The film «Le piège blanc» shows part of the adventure.

Alban has also worked with «Abyssworld», a specialised travel agency, and with filmmakers such as Luc Besson and Jacques Audiart as a under water technical advisor. He is a speaker for many conferences and talks about the awareness of the power we all have inside ourselves, no matter how hard the situation is. His major goal right now is to showcase the know-how of french companies by making an experimental under water project.

Website: AlbanMichon.com | Instagram: @AlbanMichon

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