- Xavier Méniscus broke the world record for underground diving, descending on December 30 to 286 meters deep, in the chasm of Font Estramar.
- The previous record was 283 meters, it was owned by diver Nuno Gomes.
- In 22 minutes, Xavier Méniscus has reached the depth he has coveted for months. But then we had to respect 10:30 am decompression stops.
Xavier Méniscus dived where no one has ever dared to venture. This fifties broke the world record for underground diving, descending on December 30 to 286 meters deep, in the perilous chasm of Font Estramar, at Salses-le-Château, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. He thus exploded the last record of 283 meters, reached by the diver Nuno Gomes, in a South African cavity.
"For years, we have been exploring this Font Estramar cavity," Xavier Méniscus tells 20 Minutes . In 2013, we did our first exploration, up to 283 meters, it was still going down. In 2015, we reached the bottom of the well, at 262 meters. We came back in June 2019, I arrived in a room, but I could not find the result. But by examining the images, we noticed a gray area, which made us think that the gallery could perhaps continue to descend… ”
"I said to myself" We will savor when we are out ""
Curiosity was far too strong for this extreme diver: on December 30, in 22 minutes, Xavier Méniscus reached the depth he had coveted for months. A record that has also helped advance science. "The goal is to bring new knowledge, to explore the underground networks, in order to know the path, to know more about these water resources," says Xavier Méniscus.
His challenge met, before slashing the champagne, this professional diver had to respect the decompression stops: the diver took 10:30 to get to the surface. "A diver is not like a runner," explains Xavier Méniscus. The runner knows he has won when he crosses the line. The line, I knew I had crossed it. But then you have to respect the decompression stops. My joy, I exteriorized it in the cavity, but it was a contained joy. I said to myself "We will savor when we are out". There is still the risk of accidents. "
"Very few people are able to do what he has done"
Several explorers have indeed left their lives in the resurgence of Font Estramar, which has become a real fantasy for speleologists. The last one, on July 9, 2018, died while searching in the cavity for a diver, who had disappeared a few days earlier. Does it take a bit of madness to launch such a challenge? "Absolutely not," says Xavier Méniscus, who was a diver in the army. It's 32 years of professional diving, I have the qualifications to work these depths. Step by step, we have progressed. And it is also high-performance equipment, which has been tested, it is a physical, psychological, physiological preparation, to evolve more and more inside a cavity. "
"He is a high level sportsman, very few people are able to do what he has done, you need a very great diving experience", confides to France 3 the commander Benedittini, the fireman who accompanied Xavier Méniscus in his incredible challenge. This extreme diver is only missing fins.
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