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In PBS Nature's "Under Antarctic Ice," Filmmaker Norbert Wu and his team make the 2,400-mile journey from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica to make the first high-definition film of life hidden under the Antarctic ice.

Wu and Rob Robbins, Scientific Diving Coordinator for the U.S. Antarctic Program, were online Monday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. ET, to discuss the diversity of life under Antarctic ice and the process of filming in difficult conditions.

Wu is a photographer, cinematographer, and writer who specializes in marine issues. He has worked as chief still photographer for Jacques Cousteau's Calypso; as research diver for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; and as cinematographer for numerous television productions. His background includes degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering from Stanford University and doctoral studies at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Robbins is the Scientific Diving Coordinator for the U.S. Antarctic Program. He has spend the past 24 consecutive austral summers in Antarctica and has over-wintered in McMurdo twice. Rob has spend over 160 months on the ice.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Omaha, Neb.: Was it fun filming down under the ice?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norbert: Ya, its always terrific fun. I love diving in Antarctica. We had a really good group of folks to do the work with, so that combination is what life is all about.

Rob: I just worked with Norb on a support level, but it was fun being in on the group. (Note: Rob is live from Antarctica).

Birmingham, Ala.: Rob, "Scientific Diving Coordinator" sounds exciting. How many scientist teams do you work with? Are they difficult to get along with?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: When there's people like Norb, of course not. In an average season there are about five different groups with between four and six people per group, so that's kind of a standard season here.

These people are very driven and their project is the most important thing to them, and they have a big time crunch and they're very hard-working and I don't mind that at all.

Gainesville, Fla.: Not a question; just many thanks for undertaking this work. I don't know when I have been so enthralled. Our PBS station reruns shows in the early a.m. so I got to see your photography twice. Antarctica is frighteningly fascinating so again thank you for this vicarious experience.
Dolores Jenkins, University of Florida Libraries

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: Thanks for the kind words.

Seattle, Wash.: How did the density and variety of underwater life compare to other cold-water diving locations such as Vancouver Island or the Puget Sound?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: I dove in those areas and wouldn't compare the two. The temperate waters are the richest areas in the oceans to dive -- Monterey, Vancouver. The temps range from 50F and up and are ideal for life. A lot of nutrients and gas in the water.

Antarctica is diff. because where we're diving is as far south as you can go. Not a lot of nutrients down there, so its really hard to compare the two. THe waters you describe are far richer, so there's a greater abundance of life.

But there is a lot of life considering the difficult conditions.

Ridgewood, N.Y.: How cold does it get under the ice?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: The water temp stays pretty constant -- about 28 F, and that's quite constant throughout the year.

Redondo Beach, Calif.: Did using High definition digital media present any challeges or require procedures different from shooting on film or standard definition media?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: Hi def video is very similar to standard video shooting. I think it presented numerous advantages over shooting film and these days high def is all I'm shooting on. In terms of motion picture footage. For several reasons. The picture quality is phenomenal. It is comparable to what you see in Hollywood. Since we're shooting tape, there's no problem traveling through airports and we're able to stay underwater and shoot 40 minutes of film. So the tapes enable us to stay down far longer.

Moss Landing, Calif.: Hi Guys!
I was wondering how I could make it down to Antarctica to dive under the ice. You guys have the coolest job in the world. What do you do if you see a shark down there?
Thanks.

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: There's actually a group that works down here that's from the Moss Landing Marine Labs. So you can always get in touch with those folks. And there are no sharks down here.

Deerfield, Ill.: Are you ever worried that your filming would destroy any of the natural ocean/berg life as it is today by being there?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: I'm not sure what the question means. Our presence? That's a constantly debated issue. Natural history filmmakers always run into the question of whether they're damaging the habitat. Any film crew is very sensitive about that. And the National Science FOundation has protocols for dealing with the environment, so I feel very good about what we did and I think our impact was minimal.

Rob: I think Norb's impact had less impact than the science activities, which are very minimal anyway.

Chardon, Ohio: What do you feel are the most likely reasons that whale populations in the Antarctic regions are failing to significantly return to pre-whaling levels in spite of almost 70 years of greatly reduced kill levels?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: I'm not very up on this subject, although I know there is still whaling going on in Antarctic waters.

Norb: You'd have to examine the data, but with whales you're dealing with animals that take a very long time to come back and they were certainly hunted in huge numbers and its gonna take them far more than 70 years to come back. YOu have commercial whaling by the Japanese and Norwegians. They're hunting whales we see in the film. When the boats go out and say they're harpooning for scientific research, in fact they are being sold and they're hunting humpback whales, and illegal whaling is going on.

Philadelphia, Pa.: First, I love your work and have one of the photos on my work computer.
Second, a question:
What do you do to stay warm -- we hear reccomendations about Argon vs. air for dry suit inflation. Also, there are the heated underwear solutions which have both their detractors and advocates. Thanks.

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: We haven't tried the heated underwear and I've heard that although there has been some marketing going on, it hasn't reached out to the diving community. We have on occassion used Argon in the past, but there was a study by the AAUS that there's no scientific data that says Argon keeps people warm. It's also kind of a hassle. We use commercially available underwear.

Norb: I've been trying to convince my wife and other folks that you have a naturally occurring blubber layer.

Rob: I think that's working for you Norb.

West Palm Beach, Fla.: Are you going to be doing any more work in the Antarctic? If so, what?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: Rob's been working there for 25 years. But I don't have any immediate plans, but every time someone sees this they say they'd like to do another one.

Rob: This is my job, so I've been here for 24 years and just plan on continuing for the foreseeable future.

Ladera Ranch, Calif.: How do you get to McMurdo Station?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: We take commercial airlines from LA to Christ Church New Zealand, then the NSF has the cooperation of the U.S. Military and we take flights out here to the sea ice.

Norb: Antarctica is larger than the U.S. and most people who visit go to the penninsula. And that's like visiting Florida, so you're going as far south as you can. It's clear across the other edge of the continent. It's a pretty long cruise from New Zealand. The tip of S. America, from which most cruises go to the coast of Antarctica is much farther north.

Leslie in Atlanta, Ga.: Norb, how did a guy from Decatur, Ga. with degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering transition to a world renowned underwater photographer?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: I probably know who that person is! There's not a great answer to that except that I've always loved the ocean and those backgrounds all played a role in helping me get out here and learn how to use gear.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Why don't you use full face masks to dive in such cold water?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: We actually did a relatively exhaustive study on finding a regulator that would work well and the failure rate of full masks is unacceptable. So there's an added problem of having to take it off and not having any sight.

So we don't allow them to be used, but we do use them in the dry valley lakes.

Hopkinton, Mass.: How does diving in the Arctic compare with diving in the Antarctic?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: I've only done one trip in the Arctic and that was off a boat, so very different. The arctic is far wetter and more difficult.

Ann Arbor, Mich.: The guy that got the bends and spent time in the decompression chamber -- is he not going to be able to dive any more? I wasn't sure if it was just for the duration of the shoot or for all time. The show was spectacular!

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: If there's one thing in the film I would change it would be addressing that question. The answer is that Dale is fine and has been diving since then. The medical opinion is that it was just a pinched nerve. So he's been diving and we all went to the Yucatan in July and did some diving.

Amherst, N.Y.: Hello,
I watched last night and I was completely in awe of what I was seeing. I have been diving in Hawaii and it was seeing sharks. What you saw must have been amazing and I am sure that it was more spectacular in person than on film. I absolutely loved the whales. When I saw them it took my breath away. You were so close to them and there is not much greater than that. I think that you have an amazing job and you must love it very much. I am wondering if those camps that we were seeing are there all year round? Do they have people there all the time? How often do they see the whales come by? Thank you again for your wonderful footage. Happy New year. Stay safe.

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Rob: Actually, some of the camps Norb filmed were on the sea ice and that's a summer thing. And usually those close in December. One in New Harbor is there permanently, but not occupied during the winter. During the winter all is based out of McMurdo.

And we see whales basically, if you're at the ice edge, all summer long. And then this time of year, the coast guard ice breaker is out right now and the whales follow the icebreaker.

San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Do you require a special camera housing to shoot in near-freezing water? Does being in such a place give you a sense of what visiting another planet might be like (say, diving under the ice on Europa)?

Thank you for an absolutely stunning film.
-- Ken

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: The camera housings I used are the same I'd use anywhere else. People think it is extremely cold and it is, but for mechanical gear, it isn't that cold. It's cold to the human body, though.

Ya, its definitely a real other worldly experience. TO glide under the sea ice and go through the blue caves is like nothing else you can imagine. But I get that feeling any time I'm under water.

Cleveland, Ohio: Has filming the Antarctic and scientists studying it changed your view on the future of the world and how?

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norb: I think the reason my photos and film are so popular is because it is such a pristine environment and doesn't show a lot of the problems we see here. But global changes are affecting antarctica. There is an ozone hole, receding glaciers, huge bergs are shearing off the ice shelves -- larger than any in recorded history. There's a lot of concern. There are a lot of problems affecting Antarctica, which is as isolated a place you can find. So many of the animal populations are being impacted by what we're doing.

Norbert Wu and Rob Robbins: Norbert: I'd like to thank the National Science Foundation and mention that all my work was support by grants from the NSF.

Rob: I'd like to say what a pleasure it was working with Norb. We showed the film here Sunday night and the population here was just enthralled. Very pleased with how the film worked.

Norb: Also, this is the most polite I've ever heard Rob being!

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