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Deep-sea Iron Man

September 24, 2014

An expedition near Crete is using this high-tech Exosuit to search a famous shipwreck once visited by Jacques Cousteau. Its design allows divers to make longer, deeper and longer trips underwater than possible with conventional SCUBA gear. Inside the Exosuit, air pressure is maintained at one atmosphere, so divers can surface quickly without decompression and remain submerged without using mixed gases. The expedition off the Greek isle of Antikythera, co-led by WHOI scientist Brendan Foley, is exploring one of the richest ancient shipwrecks ever discovered with an array of modern oceanographic technology. (Photo courtesy of Brendan Foley, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)