President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has paid a surprise visit to the international Nekton Mission to offer support to ocean scientists in their quest to find answers that can help unlock the secrets of the deep.

Four Maldivian aquanauts, who met President Solih on board, have journeyed to 500 meters below the surface in the past two days.

The president saw data they collected - which Nekton marine biologists and mapping experts are now analyzing.

President Solih was accompanied by government ministers including Environment Minister Aminath Shauna who explained how critical Nekton’s work is for the nation’s understanding of what lives in the deep ocean.

We as Maldivians need to know more about our oceans, more about what is happening to our oceans and the health of our oceans as well and I think it is critical that knowledge data, the evidence you find, stays here”
Aminath Shauna, Environment Minister

Earlier this week, two Maldivians made history 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.

Aquanaut Shafiya Naeem,and colleague Farah Amjad= raise the national flag of the Maldives aboard the Omega Seamaster II as it prepares to launch off Laamu Atoll/Photo: Nekton

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 policymakers both in the Maldives and beyond as the climate crisis deepens. Virtually no images exist of marine life in Maldivian waters below 30 meters.

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