After 40 minutes of bottom time I surfaced and could not get my facemask off and regulator out of my mouth fast enough. I wanted to tell my friends all about the excellent time I just had. Above the surface the wind was howling and waves splashing, while under the surface of the water it was quiet, no surge and great visibility. For the first five minutes I just sat on the bottom and enjoyed the silence. Then I was off on a mission. My objective was to capture the interesting marine fauna in the Arctic, and I encountered several species of crustaceans, molluscs, algae and two species of bottom-dwelling fish. The underwater video will be screened on our TV monitors in the lounge.
Hermit crabs (picture) are crustaceans and belong to the phylum Arthropoda. Arthropods make up the largest phylum in the Animal Kingdom, with nearly two million described species and include the insects and spiders.
Hermit crabs use empty seashells as mobile homes. They occupy the shell by wrapping their long abdomen around the internal spirals of the shell and extend only head, antennae and legs from the opening. When threatened, they withdraw completely into the shell for protection. When they get too big for their homes, they simply move into a larger shell.
