1G1 : Under the pole

1ère G1 : Our project

Read our communiques on Under the Pole

Three days under water, Imagine Ghislain Bardout's dream come true...

Today I have achieved my dream ! I feel like a kid with sparkles in my eyes. Everything around is so blue and so quiet but it doesn't disturb me, it is quite peaceful actually. As a professional diver, I have always wanted to be able to spend more time, even days under water. Today, the team and I have managed to fulfill this dream, we have created a capsule and managed to spend three days under water, at a 20 meter depth, to observe marine life and better understand it. It has been difficult, we have led many trials and faced many mishaps. It was first an idea, then we designed it but we faced difficulties when we assembled it. We had to carry out several hydraulic tests to make sure that the capsule was waterproof but there were leaks and we had to fix them ! As I write these words, I am in the capsule - a kind of underwater tent – laid on the sea bed, I am wearing shorts and a T-shirt, surrounded by water as far as the eye can see. The capsule is hooked to two ballasts which we landed on a sandy patch close to the coral head, the spot is just beautiful. The ecosystem has not been damaged and we can come and go easily to carry out our observations. Fishes are curious and come to the capsule, swim by the domes and seem to say hello. Even though staying there for three days is completey new to us, we feel that we are at home, we have become parts of this environment, we are no longer strangers. In the capsule, our voices are different and very funny. Due to the mix of Oxygen and Helium that we breathe, we sound like the Minions ! You may wonder how we eat... Well, we receive shuttles from our boat every day. The shuttles are small waterproof containers in which we find our meals but also some personal items, books and tooth brushes for example. The other day we forgot our forks ! Eating spaghetti with a knife is not easy, trust me ! When you dive to a certain depth, some colours disappear like red. Imagine eating a tomato, a slice of ham that looks grey... The taste is the same but it is not easy for the brain to accept, it is very weird ! When we first settled in the capsule, we felt anxious, it was not natural ! Our brain wanted us to go back to the surface but joy and curiosity took over. The capsule is fitted with sensors to keep the atmosphere breatheable and a camera to allow us to communicate with the surface, friends and family. It is wonderful to observe marine life from sunrise to sunset. I am still amazed by the underwater world that too few people know about. That is why our purpose is to share our discoveries, by taking samples, by filming what we see. We have been very lucky, we have seen the corals' egg-laying which happens only once a year and we could film it. Our goal is to share these incredible moments and educate younger generations about oceans, marine life. I'm excited to go back to the surface and tell the team about every thing. I will never forget this experience.