The Maldives is known for its pristine shorelines and clear waters with travellers holidaying in the archipelago often able to spot sharks, turtles, manta rays more. But until now, no one really knows what’s happening deep beneath the surface.
The Nekton Maldives Mission is about to change that via an ocean discovery mission that will send a team of international divers on the first systematic survey and sampling of the Maldives from the surface to depths of up to 1,000 meters.The 35-day operation will try to find out the status of the ocean below depths of 30 metres. It’s being carried out by UK marine research institute Nekton and the Government of the Maldives.
The first descent will be carried out by an all-female team, led by two Maldivian divers. Shafiya Naeem, director general of Maldives Marine Research Institute, who is leading the 10 Maldives scientists on the mission, and Farah Amjad, research assistant to the Nekton Maldives Mission, are part of the crew of the Nekton mission’s first descent.
Four of the 10 Maldivian scientists taking part in the mission are women. Below the waves, divers will carry out health checks to establish the status of life in the Indian Ocean waters. The team will use two high-tech submersibles, one of which can go as deep as 1,000 meters — to help conduct their research.Data collected during the dives will also be used to establish the health of the ocean, create new protected marine areas and act as a basis for other conservation projects.
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