30 years ago, the deepest dive in the world

 

©Alexis Rosenfeld

On November 20, 1992, diver Theo Mavrostomos set the record for the world's deepest dive: 701 meters. Alexis Rosenfeld shot the images for Comex. 

At the end of the 1980s, well before the rise of underwater robots, Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise (Comex) launched the Hydra program. The aim: to experiment with the effects of pressure on divers and advance knowledge of deep-sea work.  

In 1992, Comex scuba diver Théo Mavrostomos was appointed captain of the Hydra X mission. One of the aims of this new hyperbaric mission was to beat the world record for deep diving (683 meters) held by two Americans. At the request of Henri-Germain Delauze, founder of Comex, Alexis Rosenfeld, then a young photographer, immortalizes the event.

In the chamber, Théo is accompanied by Serge Icart and Régis Peilho. They gave up at a depth of 675 meters, physically exhausted by the pressure. After intense discussions, it was decided that Théo would continue alone. On November 20, 1992, the chamber simulated a descent to a depth of 701 meters. On that day, Theo Mavrostomos officially broke the record for the world's deepest dive. 

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