(14-04-09) John Laboria, "Team Manager" for National Geographic, has just returned from two completely different diving expeditions that have in common the effects of climate change and the “evolution” of man.

The first destination was the Red Sea. We wanted to compare how it is now and how it was years ago. The team consisted of other two divers and a marine biologist. The starting point was Hurghada; we were going to arrive to Sudan.

Years ago Hurghada was a small fishing village; now, hotels, resorts and golf courses have been built along kilometres of coastline. There is even a “Ministry of Sound”, a very famous nightclub. It is crazy! It seems they want to emulate Dubai.

The conditions of corals were pitiful. Years ago we could see many animal species, now we only saw four dolphins, a shark and two turtles, and that near to Sudan, where the Red Sea is still quite virgin.

In one of the wrecks I saw an elderly man with a rebreather and a drysuit who was digging. He got to carry the rubber sole of a boot to the surface. I do not know if he is an organic cleaner or if he is going to keep the sole at home as a souvenir. All the wrecks have been looted over and over again.

A strange wind started to blow, and even the crew, who were all Egyptian, said that they had never seen something like that. There are some species that are multiplying: leon fish, scorpion fish, stone fish, giant morena fish and elkhorn coral and fire coral. The planet is in serious danger.

IN THE LAND OF FIRE AND ICE

The second destination after coming back from a place where the temperature was 24ºC and the water was at constant 22ºC was Iceland, the land of fire and ice. It was an absolutely contrast. We went to dive into a huge gap that has appeared on the island due to the largest earthquake in the last 20 years, which has separated tectonic plates.

Outside the temperature was 25 degrees below zero, except one day when a snow storm began to blow and temperature fall to -45ºC. Water was at 0 / 1 º C. We were two divers, a security team on the surface, doctors, media, geologists, vulcanologist and biologists.

First, we download a “minirob” to get an idea and then I was the first man to go there. I felt like the first person to set the foot on the Moon. We combined diving under the ice, in caves and technological diving, the most extreme forms that exist all in one. We went down to 200m depth and then we were changing the depth.

There was still burning lava and the other one that had got cool. We did it in three times until reaching the sea. They were five endless days carrying 100 kg on our backs every day. It was worth it, although we pay the price as Louie, the other diver, and I spent a week in bed to recover.

As a story, one day parts of the equipment become frozen and there was no hot water left, so we had to urinate on it to thaw it. We also got to see some arctic fox that are also endangered. I will do my best to save all the animals I love and the Nature of our beautiful planet.