The RRV James Clark Ross set sail on Jan 14, 2009 to study the chemosynthetic life of deep Antarctic waters. This cruise, the first of three planned, is the kick off of the ChEsSo (ChEss in the Southern Ocean) program. Utilizing the latest in deep ocean exploration technologies, ChEss scientists will search for vent and seep sites, record current flow around the sites and investigate biogeographic patterns of vent species in the region. The expedition is collaborating with the Classroom at Sea Project [1] and will be posting a cruise diary [2] online. For more information please visit: Chemosynthetic Life in the Antarctic [3].