Xavier Meniscus, the record man who pushes the limits of scuba diving

Xavier Meniscus pushes the limits of cave diving: a record at 312 meters in Font Estramar

After having set a first world record of 286 meters in 2019, Xavier Meniscus signs a new exploit by reaching the vertiginous depth of 312 meters in the famous Font Estramar resort, located at the foot of the maritime Corbières, in the town of Salses-le-Château (Pyrénées-Orientales).

Photo credit: Tek Image - Albert Ghizzo

Completely flooded, the network of Font Estramar has more than 2,900 meters of underground galleries explored. It is the fifth deepest natural siphon in the world. This source feeds, with another source, the Leucate pond.

The explorations began in 1949 with MM. Dupas and Georges. Over the years, the cave has attracted diving pioneers like Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1951) or Haroun Tazieff. At that time, the technical means did not allow to go beyond the 50 meters reached in 1955. Since then, the cavity has continued to fascinate technical divers, while being marked by numerous tragic losses in the field.

Photo credit: Tek Image - Albert Ghizzo

The latest performance by Xavier Meniscus commands respect: 18 minutes for the descent, but more than 12 hours of ascent, including the long decompression stops. An unequalled prowess to this day, which makes him enter the extremely restricted circle of nine autonomous divers who have surpassed 300 meters in depth – only two of whom are in the underground environment: himself and Frédéric Swierczynski. It is also by relying on the thread of Ariane placed at 300 meters by the latter, author of a previous world record at -308 m, that Xavier was able to push back the limit.

Xavier was able to count on the support of Diveavenue to best prepare for this record dive. The team indirectly contributed to his achievement by providing him with essential equipment such as Seacraft GHOST scooters, an ENC navigation console, a Paralenz camera, a custom FinnSub stab, Sofnolime and a Mola Mola sub-suit.

Since 2013, he has conducted six successive explorations in the cavity, installing himself his own Ariadne’s thread to secure, in exploration, its progression up to 286 meters, and discovering the passages one by one.

With 35 years of experience in the field of professional diving, notably as a diver on oil rigs in the Gulf of Guinea or on hydraulic dams in France, Xavier now puts his skills at the service of science.

His achievement exceeds the simple world record: it represents a valuable contribution to the study of underground environments. He had also embarked, during this last dive, analysis probes for the university of Aix-en-Provence, allowing to collect unique data at these extreme depths.

As Xavier Meniscus trusts in Diveavenue to equip your dives. Diveavenue stays by your side to equip you throughout the year. Don’t wait any longer: find your happiness on our website!