Indian aquanauts make record 5,000-metre dive in Atlantic Ocean, plant tricolour

India Today

15 hours ago

In a first-of-its-kind achievement, two Indian aquanauts have plunged more than 5,000 metres below sea level, planting the Indian flag, and the French flag, on the ocean bed during a landmark Indo-French deep-sea expedition.As part of a collaboration with France, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) experts Raju Ramesh and Cdr (Retired) Jatinder Pal Singh boarded the French research vessel off Portugal, joining the Nautile submersible team for what would become an expedition to the depths of the Atlantic.advertisementThe dives, reaching 4,025 and then 5,002 metres, were undertaken inside Nautile, a state-of-the-art French submersible capable of operating at depths up to 6,000 metres and equipped with robotic arms, sensors, and cameras for underwater operations.
Photo: PIB
Using the submersible's manipulator, the aquanauts marked their historic presence by planting both nations' flags at the crushing depths, enduring extreme conditions and demonstrating the capabilities required for such missions.The five-member NIOT contingent gained invaluable hands-on experience in crucial aspects of human deep-sea dives: pre-dive preparation, habitability, buoyancy management, trajectory tracking, communication protocols, and meticulous dive planning.These lessons are particularly relevant as India accelerates preparations for its Samudrayaan mission, where its indigenous Matsya-6000 crewed submersible will soon conduct dives to similar depths.Defying jet lag, multiple flights, and more than a week aboard their vessel in rough seas, the Indian divers' success marks a watershed moment for Indian ocean exploration, proving national expertise and resilience on the global stage. NIOT Director Prof. Balaji Ramakrishnan highlighted the significance: 'Every single component for our Matsya dives is being crafted to withstand the extreme pressure and conditions of the deep ocean.'
Samudrayaan during harbour wet test. (Photo: NIOT)
The experience gained from the pioneering Indo-French Nautile venture is already being channeled into the final phase of the Samudrayaan mission, scheduled to make India one of only six countries to send a crewed submersible into the abyssal depths.Matsya-6000, developed by NIOT, will ferry three persons to 6,000m depths in a titanium alloy sphere, facilitating mineral exploration, marine biodiversity studies, and deep-sea rescue operations.As India pushes the frontiers of deep ocean science, this historic dive stands as a symbol of international cooperation, technical mastery, and the promise of greater discoveries awaiting beneath the waves.- EndsMust Watch