Laurent Ballesta’s Gombessa Project uncovers the deepest secrets of our oceans.
It all began with a mystery. First it was the legend of a coelacanth, a prehistoric creature long thought to have been extinct well over 70 million years ago. To find it, photograph it and then study it was all Laurent Ballesta wanted to do. And he did. More than once.
In 2010, he made history as the first person to release new underwater video footage and imagery of the coelacanth up close. It was a first even among divers, adding to the work of South African technical diver Peter Timm, who was the first to rediscover the species in 2000.
Travelling with his team to South Africa, where the locals refer to the fish as gombessa, Ballesta descended on an area of the Indian Ocean known as the Mozambique Channel. The expedition, funded by luxury watchmaker Blancpain, was the result of two years of scientific, logistical and human preparation.
The Long Way Down
To find the coelacanth, Ballesta had to reach depths of around 140m. By way of comparison, an average scuba diver seldom crosses the 40m mark. Using GPS and sonar devices, the crew located the Jesser Canyon caves and then jumped feet first into the blue, battling the full wrath of the currents.
“We had to jump in a distance away depending on the speed of the current. Sometimes as far as 300 metres. Using our compass and diving at the correct angle, we were able to reach the spot,” says Ballesta. “We did something like 70 dives and never once did we miss.”
For days, Ballesta and his team dived those waters. He did what was initially thought to have been impossible because of the excruciating depths for which every hour spent underwater equates to four more needed to decompress. And the numerous technical issues encountered along the way didn’t make things easy.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2019-Ausgabe von Robb Report Singapore.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2019-Ausgabe von Robb Report Singapore.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
BREAKING DOWN WALLS
Georgina Atkinson, managing partner of Origin Private Office, on the evolving landscape of high-end real estate.
Aged Gracefully
The Benromach 50 Years Old by Gordon & MacPhail is a delicious single malt, touched by love, passion and the human hand.
This Month's Feed
Only the best dining and drinking spots in Singapore.
Small-scale Thinking
Architect Todd Saunders wants to change the way we approach hospitality design from the ground up.
Todd Snyder Is Exactly Where He Wants To Be
\"Our whole goal is to present product in a way that guys get it and understand it, versus 'Here's some crazy aspirational brand-you go figure it out on your own'.\"
Depp Dive Into Sauvage
Johnny Depp on music, scents and the mystique of creativity.
Time For Poetry
Pascal Raffy on his love affair with the 202-year-old house of Bovet.
One of a Kind
The incomparable Lange 1 turns 30 this year and A. Lange & Söhne marks the occasion with its trademark understatement.
P For Personality
Enhance your swing, and inject your personal style while you're at it, with TaylorMade's new P-770 and P-7CB irons.
The Short-hop-adventure-craft Category Takes Off
Inside the flight deck of Pivotal's Blackfly eVTOL, an ultra-smart ultra-light with eight propellers, electric propulsion and no pilot's licence required.