UK marine research foundation 'Nekton' has revealed that two Maldivian women will make history as part of a ten-strong science team for a deep-sea expedition in the Maldives against climate crisis.

Shafiya Naeem, Director General of Maldives Marine Research Institute is leading the Maldives scientists on the mission while Farah Amjad, Research Assistant to the Nekton Maldives Mission will be part of the crew of the mission’s first descent.

The Nekton Maldives Mission is scheduled to begin on September 4th and will carry on for 35 days until October 7th.

The mission will undertake the very first systematic survey and sampling of the ocean surrounding the Maldives from the surface to 1000 meters below sea level. It is a joint endeavor by UK marine research institute Nekton and the Maldivian Government.

“Our objective during our submersible dives is to discover and better understand what our waters contain, so we can begin to protect what lives there and safeguard the environment more meaningfully” explained Shafiya Naeem who’s research is focused on aquatic animal health. “We have 40 shark and 18 ray species at the apex of the food chain in our ocean and for the first time we’ll be able to identify their relative abundance at depth - which is a critical indicator to determine ocean health”.

The Mission will be deploying state-of-the-art submersibles, alongside robotic and autonomous systems and will assist the team in learning what lies beyond 50 meters of sea level, which has been dubbed 'unchartered waters' as almost little to nothing is known of what lies beneath.

The marine team consists of 40 professionals which include 16 locals and 24 international researchers and scientists.