Five men dived in stages – symbolically – to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the north of Burgenland. With this spectacular campaign they also wanted to draw attention to the pollution of the world’s oceans.
Yesterday at 10:50 Christian Redl disappeared into the Neufelder Meer with the words: “It can’t get any deeper.” Four hours, 26 minutes and 31 seconds later the 48-year-old surfaced again. And all this without an oxygen tank!
Help from divers
If it sounds impossible, it is – even for a multiple world record holder in apnea diving. However, Redl was supported by Jaromir Foukal, Thomas Morgl, Nino Hülsenbacher and Maurice Fellner.
55 times 20 meters down – and up
The common goal was to conquer the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, with a depth of almost 11,000 meters – symbolically, of course.
Each of the five divers swam 55 times to a depth of 20 meters and back up. According to the rule, only one man was allowed to be underwater at a time, who was controlled by Olaf Kuchenbecker, referee of the German Record Institute.
“A little proud”
While the divers initially seemed calm and very focused, the abuse started in the afternoon. “It’s almost getting boring,” was heard. Or: “This is going up and down faster than expected.”
After a total of 275 dives, the world record was finally broken and there was great relief. “We conquered the Mariana Trench to its deepest point and reached the unreachable,” Redl said. “We were more than an hour faster than the previous record holders. That can make us a little proud.”
Redl, Foukal, Morgl, Hülsenbacher and Fellner didn’t just start the campaign as a joke, but on behalf of the non-profit organization ‘7 Oceans’ also wanted to draw attention to the fact that plastic waste is present even at the deepest point in the world’s oceans. So after setting the world record, the men retrieved dozens of bags of Klumpert from the bottom of Lake Neufeld.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
