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Two intrepid Maldives aquanauts have journeyed into the history books by becoming the first people from the world’s lowest-lying nation to descend deep into the twilight zone.
Marine biologist, Shafiya Naeem, director general of the Maldives Marine Research Institute, and research assistant colleague Farah Amjad were chosen as lead aquanauts on the maiden dive of the Nekton Maldives Mission.
The expedition is a joint initiative by UK-based Nekton and the Maldives government to map, sample and gather data on ocean health which can inform policy makers both in the Maldives and beyond as the climate crisis deepens. Virtually no images exist of marine life in Maldivian waters below 30 metres.
The aquanauts launched from the mission mothership RV Odyssey off Laamu Atoll and, in an impromptu gesture of national pride, raised the flag of the Maldives as the Omega Seamaster II three-person submersible rolled out on deck
They were piloted by American Kimly Do on a journey to investigate the wall of coral and marine life along the east coast of Lammu at varying depths from 60 metres , through a 120 metre deep survey to the darker depths of 250 metres. The scientists are especially interested in the interconnectivity between corals and marine species living near the surface and at greater depth.
The Maldives team admit to feeling the weight of expectation on their shoulders. Their nation is the lowest lying country on earth and is already experiencing storm surges and so-called coral bleaching events – when corals which act as natural sea defences are literally boiled to death by rising sea temperatures, sparked by global warming. Unless global carbon emissions are kept in check, swathes of this archipelago could become uninhabitable.