Coast Guard cutter Polar Star breaking Antarctic ice

Standing directly in front of an icebreaker.

A stationary camera on the Antarctic sea ice captures the perspective of the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star charging directly ahead and crushing through the frozen shelf.

Icebreaker Crushes Antarctic Ice Head-On

Crew members cruise alongside the Polar Star, pointing out scraped steel and stripped paint caused by relentless icebreaking operations in Antarctica.

Inspecting Ice Damage on Polar Star's Hull

Steering an icebreaker through Antarctic ice

Bridge officers aboard the cutter Polar Star calibrate engine throttles and helm commands to weave through narrow ice leads in the frozen Antarctic sea.

Steering an Icebreaker Through Polar Leads

Military divers stand on an open basket lowered straight into floating slush and ice floes, keeping spirits high with jokes before plunging below the ice.

Lowering Divers into Freezing Antarctic Water

Human diver next to a giant icebreaker propeller

A diver swims in clear Antarctic water directly alongside the colossal shaft and towering propeller blade of the heavy icebreaker Polar Star.

Swimming Next to a Giant Icebreaker Propeller

A Coast Guard weather specialist briefs the crew on incoming winds that could clear the pack ice or halt operations.

Tracking Antarctic Wind Storms on Polar Star

The sea ice started working its way back in

During an icebreaker briefing, satellite images reveal that open water has unexpectedly refilled with dense ice pack.

When Antarctic Sea Ice Closes Back In

What happens if someone falls overboard in polar ice?

Bridge personnel quiz a watchstander on exact protocol, from initial alarms to tracking water temperature and prepping cold-water rescue swimmers.

Quizzing Crew on Polar Man Overboard Procedures

Rushing a diver into the decompression chamber

Medical personnel evaluate a diver showing signs of decompression sickness before helping him into an onboard hyperbaric chamber to be pressurized.

Emergency Decompression Chamber Protocol at Sea

Coast Guard crew members conduct an extreme cold-water immersion rescue drill right beside the cutter on the Antarctic ice sheet.

Cold Water Ice Rescue Drill in Antarctica

[01:27] Icebreaker Crushes Antarctic Ice Head-On
[07:04] Inspecting Ice Damage on Polar Star's Hull
[08:17] Steering an Icebreaker Through Polar Leads
[13:29] Lowering Divers into Freezing Antarctic Water
[14:45] Swimming Next to a Giant Icebreaker Propeller
[27:44] Tracking Antarctic Wind Storms on Polar Star
[28:16] When Antarctic Sea Ice Closes Back In
[32:53] Quizzing Crew on Polar Man Overboard Procedures
[39:36] Emergency Decompression Chamber Protocol at Sea
[49:31] Cold Water Ice Rescue Drill in Antarctica

Coast Guard cutter Polar Star breaking Antarctic ice

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