President Danny Faure became the first Head of State to undertake a submersible dive today, where he delivered a live address from a depth of 124 metres below the ocean surface. This was part of a series of expeditions by Seychelles and Nekton to explore and conserve the deep ocean in the Indian Ocean, a first.

Speaking to an audience of over 110 million viewers in over 40 countries, the address from the submersible was an opportunity for President Faure to highlight the importance of concrete actions for ocean conservation.

Describing the ocean as ‘the beating blue heart of our planet’, the President said in his speech, “At this depth, I can see not only the incredible beauty of our ocean, but the care that it urgently needs to stay this way. This is a historical moment for my country, Seychelles. Together with Nekton and a unique collaboration of over 40 partners combining marine research and state-of-the-art technology, today I have this opportunity to be in a submersible 124 metres below the water surface.”

Speaking to the press after his submersible dive, the President described the unique experience as “so so cool”, and said that it has made him an even stronger advocate of ocean conservation and taking concrete actions to mitigate against climate change.

In the first-ever live speech from a submersible, 124 metres under the surface of the ocean, the President said, “Over the years, we have created these problems. We can solve them. We must solve them. We need decisive, coordinated international action.

The deep ocean is the beating heart of the planet, yet we have better maps of planet Mars than we do of the ocean floor. This needs to change, as we gather the information available to identify priority areas for protection.

This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time.”

Source: All Africa