Observation Tube

Sub-ice viewing hole

View from the bottom of the tube looking up

I was lucky enough to be invited to a special trip to the ‘Ob Tube’ which is as it sounds, a metal cylinder that has been worked into the ice with windows at the bottom so that you can have a look into the water and below the ice. At the time, there were also two divers near the windows, and I could hear a seal whistling but couldn’t see it swimming. There were algae covering a lot of the area between the sea ice and the water, and small fish hanging around the surface. Even a cute dancing creature which didn’t really look like a fish (see video!)

Algae on the underside of the ice

All the dots are little fish hanging around

Ob Tube from the top

4 responses to “Observation Tube”

cheerfulc0581c8075

November 13, 2025 at 2:18 pm

What a strange creature

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gmathomas

November 13, 2025 at 7:36 pm

I don’t know where to start… the photos of the snowflakes and ice crystals and the baby seal are so amazing, and the old tube… well, that really is something special. But something super special arrived in our mailbox today – a postcard from Scott Base! Thank you so much, Alyssa! You truly made our day. x x x x

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Ocean Mercier

November 14, 2025 at 11:19 am

What an amazing opportunity to get underneath the ice in the Ob Tube! Fantastic video – feel free to baptise the GoPro camera if you get the opportunity lol! that ngarara is amazing, looks… almost penguin-like??

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valiantlyfantastic9cb85c54bf

November 14, 2025 at 5:23 pm

Ooh wow cool views, but looks a bit claustrophobic! Little dancing creature was really putting on a show for you

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