Australian Cave Divers Break Depth Record
A recent expedition partly funded by National Geographic to try and find the source of the the Pearse River in New Zealand has led to a record breaking dive by members of the Australian team set out with the task.
The cave may be the world’s deepest cold water cave, as divers have yet to reach the end despite reaching a record breaking depth of 194 meters (636 feet) in water that is just above freezing.
During the expedition, divers have found potential new life forms such as a possible new species of amphipod.
The Pearse River comes out at the base of a cliff on the side of a mountain on New Zealand’s South Island. Dry tracers used to try to locate it’s source produced inconclusive results.
The team hopes to return to the site on a future expedition in 2012. While we wait for that, be sure to check out the video at the link below.
Record Cave Dive Leaves Mystery [National Geographic]