Gombessa Expeditions - Cap Corse: The Mystery of the Rings Premieres on May 3rd on Arte and Online
Off the coast of Cap Corse, strange rings dot the seabed. How did they appear? This is the story of a multidisciplinary scientific investigation coupled with an extraordinary underwater expedition, led by diver, underwater photographer, and biologist Laurent Ballesta.
Don't miss the documentary "Cap Corse, the Mystery of the Rings", which will be broadcast on Saturday, May 3rd on ARTE and available on Arte.tv until August, to discover this exceptional scientific adventure in detail.
In 2011, during a sonar survey conducted by IFREMER and the University of Corsica in the marine natural park of Cap Corse and Agriate, regular circular formations were discovered at depths exceeding 100 meters. These rings, 20 meters in diameter, cover a vast sandy plain over nearly 15 km², and their origin and mode of formation remain mysterious.
With Blancpain's support, Laurent Ballesta and his team have conducted a series of large-scale scientific expeditions over several years. From 2020 to 2023, four missions were organized, including a 21-day saturation diving mission, three weeks of autonomous deep dives, and the use of two submarines and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). These expeditions have mobilized a multidisciplinary team of 40 researchers, including biologists, geologists, ecologists, and paleoclimatologists. The team used a pressurized bathyal station, allowing four divers to explore great depths without time limits, while living confined for 21 days in a 5 m² habitat, with logistical support from the French Navy.
During these missions, 937 hours of underwater exploration were conducted, with 32 scientific protocols implemented to analyze these structures and the exceptional biodiversity they harbor. The results have provided a better understanding of these unique formations in the Mediterranean and highlighted the importance of their protection. These ecosystems, unique in the Mediterranean, are threatened by ship anchoring and noise pollution from maritime traffic, making their preservation all the more crucial.
Among the Blancpain Ocean Commitment stands the Brand’s partnership with diver, underwater photographer, and biologist Laurent Ballesta. Blancpain has been supporting his Gombessa Expeditions since the very first mission in 2013. Laurent Ballesta’s Gombessa project focuses on studying some of the rarest, most elusive marine creatures and phenomena on Earth. Ballesta and his team use electronically controlled closed-circuit mixed gas rebreathers to reach extreme depths and bring back unique scientific data, photographs, and videos. Their activities are consistently marked by triple challenges of a technical, scientific and artistic nature. To date, there have been six major Gombessa expeditions and several other missions, all underwritten by Blancpain.
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