One of my favorite scenes in the “Field Notes” story shows a Weddell seal swimming underneath the ice. How did you capture this footage?

I took a GoPro camera, and attached it to a bamboo pole. I used the pole to put the camera underwater in an area where the seals were swimming under the ice. I couldn't see what I was shooting so it was a lot like fishing. I was hoping to catch a shot of one of the tagged seals as she was swimming, and I got very close, but unfortunately she was just out of frame.

The day started with lovely spring-skiing weather. Antarctica will lull you in a false sense of complacency and then all of a sudden slap you in the face and remind you who's boss. So without warning, it got bitterly cold and windy, and to add some excitement, huge sheets of the ice below our feet began shifting around us. Because I was dipping the bamboo pole below the water, my gloves would get wet, and so I was developing painful, frozen popsicle fingers.

There is no glove that can really stand up to the cold. And there always arises some occasion that requires you to take your gloves off for a minute. Once your fingers get cold, it is very hard to warm them up again, even if you put them in some fresh gloves, you are basically insulating cold fingers, and the gloves become a refrigerator. The only solution is to stick your bare hands deep in a pocket with some chemical heat pads.

606i_JHiatt_Jesse_recording_audio_JH-Hydrophone — Jesse Hiatt records audio during his two month stint filming in Antarctica. Image courtesy of Jesse Hiatt.

So bracing from the cold and nursing my increasingly useless, frost-nipped claw hands, I finally I got a bit of luck. From where I was standing, I could see a seal below my feet, swim right up to the camera and put her nose right on the lens. Then she took a few breaths from the hole in the ice, and I knew she was in the shot. I couldn't wait to get home and see how it came out.

Having spent so many hours observing and filming them, what did you find particularly fascinating about the behavior of Weddell seals?

When seals are on the surface, they look like big fat slugs and it is relatively difficult for them to move around. Underwater, they are the masters. They are in complete command and swim quite gracefully. I dream of being able to go back to Antarctica and capture some more underwater footage. But it is a very rare privilege to be able to go there, even for researchers who have studied these animals for years.

606i_JHiatt_seal_poking_out_ice-hole — A Weddell seal pokes its head out of an ice hole in Antarctica. Image courtesy of Jesse Hiatt.

The Weddell seals are fascinating creatures that live in one of the Earth's most extreme environments. They are in fact the southern-most mammal. During the winter they never see the sun. They can dive to depths of 500 meters. And they have no land-predators, so they have no real fear of humans which makes them great research subjects. It was a great privilege to visit their home and spend time with them.

What’s next for you? Do you have any plans to travel to other exotic locales for wildlife documentaries?

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Field Notes: Dan Costa in Antarctica