Sedna Epic Expedition to take Dartmouth woman on Arctic scuba dive

A scuba diver from Nova Scotia is joining an all-female group on a "hazardous" trip to the Arctic Ocean.

KitrinaGodding ofDartmouth,N.S., set off Sunday. Her adventure started when sheresponded to an ad on Sedna's Epic Expedition Facebook page that read: "Women wanted for hazardous journey."

I never in a million years thought I would dive in the Arctic. I didn't know it was an option.- Kitrina Godding

That might scare off some, but not Godding, a 32-year-old master diver with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

"I immediately applied and was lucky to be chosen to join this amazing group of women," she said.

Goddess of the sea

The all-female diving group has a broad mission, but the main goal is to study the disappearing sea ice in the Arctic.

Sedna's summer dive is described as "a warm up, of sorts," for its 3,000-kilometre relay dive planned for 2017-18 in the Northwest Passage.According to Inuit legend,Sednais the goddess of the sea andthe mother of all marine mammals.

ForGodding, it's an opportunity too good to pass up.

"I never in a million years thought I would dive in the Arctic. I didn't know it was an option until I found the Sedna group," Godding said.

"The fact that these dives are scientific and are for research is an important reason why I wanted to be involved. There is so much value to be gained and shared from the work that will be done."

'Pure exhilaration'

This will beGodding'ssecond big dive challenge of the summer. Earlier this month, she was one of 14 women who set a world record by diving to historic sites and shipwrecks in each of the Great Lakes in under 24 hours.

The event was called the Big FiveDive,andGoddingsaid it was like nothing she's ever done before.

"The feeling when we completed that was pure exhilaration," she said.

Goddingexpects the same feeling when the team gathers inIqaluitfor the journey to the Arcticwith theSednaEpic Expedition.

Diving since 2007

The biggest hazard she expects to face is the frigid Arctic water itself;the waters around Nova Scotia are the coldest she's experienced since taking up scuba diving in 2007.

Goddingwill be diving in a Santi drysuit, typically used in cold-water diving so water doesn't touch the body.

Underthat, she will wear a thermal suit wired for heating pads to fend off the water temperature, which will bejust above freezing.