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technical Pascal matters descends ...to go where no one has gone before Deconstructing a 330m World Record Dive Text by Pascal Bernabé Translation by Aurelie Brun and Michel Ribera Photos by Francois Brun Tuesday, July and the idea was stuck in my head. I 5, Propriano, look around. I see Porto Polo just a short Corsica 9am distance down the coast. At my feet is Pascal centers him- a big buoy under which 350 meters of self, preparing This is the rope is suspended with a 50kg weight mentally and moment I attached in the other end. It is waiting physically for for me. Pity that I still feel this knot in my the deep have waited stomach despite of all my relaxation, dive for for years. I calm breathing and the good condi- sit comfortably tions. on the side of Around me the team has sprung into action: Hubert, François, Tono, Denis Bignand’s dive Christian, Sophie, Frank and Denis from boat and under my fins, U-Levante. I have already put on the which are already dan- 18-liter double set with another 7-liter gling in the water, I have for the dry suit, and very compact double wings. I have reduced the a 400 meter drop off. equipment to the absolute minimum in The Valinco waters are unex- order to lower the risks of making mis- pectedly quiet. There have takes and becoming confused at the from the checklist, as if preparing for a 300 meters. been so many times bottom. Only the gas quantities have spacewalk. The analogy is not entirely With my movements being slightly where we had to been over-dimensioned. I have always out place as the ascent from the bot- restricted by my six large tanks, I finally postpone this dive been afraid of running out of gas. tom will take longer than a return jour- commence my dive. I leave the sur- because of I enter the water and finish gearing ney from space. face, the barrier that separates the air, wind. Making up in a somewhat meticulous man- It really is a trip into the unknown for my friends and security from the depths this dive ner. I find it necessary, as I don’t want which I am preparing. In spite of all the of loneliness. At this moment, my come to leave anything to chance. I focus meticulous preparations, uncertain- stress is supposed to disappear only it true on holding on to my concentration ties remain, especially concerning my doesn’t. I pause at six meters, but only grew despite some small last minute prob- state of mind and body at the bottom for a moment, to regain my focus, but I into an lems. I visualize the dive one more time since there have only been three other am in a hurry to be at the bottom. The obsession, and make sure I don’t forget anything scuba divers who have gone below descent commences, slow at first, then 79 X-RAY MAG : 26 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature World Record increasingly faster because of my down to between 150 and 174 1998 where I reached a depth of my gloves. Too quickly! I need all weights. At 70 meters, I hang my meters about 15 times, often more than 250 meters. The sec- my concentration to equalize, to 18/50 tank, switch to the 6/72, under challenging conditions and ond time was on the open sea off pass the tanks onto the big snap and start gaining speed. with tasks to accomplish (explor- the Catalan coast (Northern part hook that secure me to the rope, I pass the 100-meter depth ing, unwinding lines, filming, assist- of the Spanish Mediterrean coast to inflate my drysuit, which is for- mark without paying much atten- ing, etc). This gave me a certain – ed.), where I had the same tunately equipped with a big flow tion and continue gaining speed. psychological ballast and confi- team as I have now. Then, I dove rate. I pass the 150-meter tag. During dence diving to these depths and from the Majunga, François Brun’s I am approaching the last my first mixed gas dives in 1993, especially ascending and per- boat, and went to a depth of 20-liter tank, which is attached to that depth seemed virtually inac- forming the decompression stops. 231 meters. But today, this almost the 250-meter tag. It is actually at cessible. But since 1996, between I fly past the 200-meter tag. This feels like just a formality, since the a depth of 265 meters because the exploration of underwater is the third time since I started objective is to go much deeper! of the elasticity of the rope and caves and assisting Pipin and practising deep diving. The first marked with a chemical light Audrey Ferreras in their freediv- time was in the huge underwater Still no HPNS stick as is custom for all cylinders ing record attempts, I went back cave of Fontaine de Vaucluse in The rope runs quickly between at such depths. I have a difficult moment. I abandon the 6/72 20-liter travel gas that I have been breathing since 70 meters and start breathing on the bottom mix, make the knot… too many things to do at the same time. The High Pressure Nervous Syndrome is now well developed in the form of light shivers and in particular, difficulties in concen- tration. Worse still, the travel gas tank I was supposed to attach slips off the rope and gets away from me! My friends get it back a few minutes later without really understanding what is going on and not without a certain appre- hension. For me, of course, things are not getting better with the depth. But I now feel comfortable with only four big tanks filled with bot- tom mix. Strangely, passing the depth of 200 meters, I am shaking less than I was at the Fontaine du Vaucluse. I am not having any obvious visual disturbance (dis- tance problem) either, except 300-meter tag that really should sharp pain. My stress, which left for an advanced “tunnel vision” have grabbed my attention. me when I passed 70 meters, effect—my visual field seems A flasher is blinking, indicating returns with a vengeance. There restricted and being without the very deep zone. I reach the and then, I am convinced that I much peripheral vision. 320-meter depth tag (actually have a big lesion on my eardrum. My Apeks regulators and my situated at more than 335 meters) I quickly inflate my wings and Aqualung Titan are working won- when a big deflagration occurs begin the ascent. The pain in my derfully well. I hardly notice the in my right ear, along with a ear doesn’t get worse. I try not to Final check. TOP RIGHT: Meditation 80 X-RAY MAG : 26 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED THIS PAGE: Scenes from the dive. feature Team members assist Pascal World Record think about what may happen next and ness. concentrate only on the ascent. When I get up to 70 meters, there Reaching 265 meters, I am glad to are nine 20-liter deco/travel tanks that I get to the decompression tank for my have to manage. Reaching 65 meters, first deep stop. Then the ascent starts I get onto the second rope. There, I am again, this time at a slower ten meters happy to see François Brun, with whom per minute rate. This is another big differ- I usually explore deep shipwrecks, in ence between this dive and diving the particular, one located off the Catalan Fontaine du Vaucluse dive. Back then, I coast at 110 meters. Our last journey was was hit much sooner by HPNS, and it left as exploration training dive three weeks me later, too, around -70 meters. ago. He’s using a Inspiration rebreather. By contrast, today, I feel few symptoms He comes for an update and to provide above 220 meters. At 215 meters, I make me with food and drink. I let him know the second deep stop while I hang the about my pain in the ear and a light second deco tank on. From here on, nausea. He rids me of four tanks, and the ascent gets even slower with a snail after spending a little while with me, he pace five meters per minute until I reach has to perform his own decompression the 165-meter deco stop and the next profile. tank. My ear doesn’t hurt as much as Hubert Foucart relieves him at 50 I thought it would, and I feel as if I am meters. He is a follower of what he calls back in familiar territory. “baroque” diving—deep dives either in From 150 meters, the ascent slows fur- caves or on the open sea, down to an ther to an excruciating slow three meters impressive 211 meters, and he assisted per minute ascent speed, and I have all Pipin, too. He gives me a mix of water these tanks accumulating around me and Vogalene in order to prevent nau- dangling on the rope and on my har- sea. Then, it is Denis’ turn to come to The team • Christian Deit, specialized in raiding, • Francis Machecourt from the CREPS of Sixteen people in total, divers or mariners cave diving, canyon exploration, scuba • Ajaccio and his wife Sylvaine from Toulouse and from Catalonia, diving • Théo Laumonier have followed this project (and other • Hubert Foucart, cave diver and ship- • Laurent Grillot (Lolo) projects: shipwrecks, cave diving, etc) wreck explorer, with his passion for the • Pierre Schiffer and Christian Gay- and have carried it on their shoulders deep dive Capdeville from Aquasport Contois since the beginning; everyone has his • Sophie Kerboeuf, highly skilled diver • Pascal Vieux and Jean-Louis Léandri, a own specialty but continues to multitask.

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