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Sky News broadcasts first under-the-sea bulletin

Investigates impact of plastic pollution and climate change in the Indian Ocean

Sky News has broadcast the first ever live TV news bulletin from under the sea.

The Sky Ocean Rescue initiative saw the team join forces with under-water exploration specialists NEKTON and the Seychelles government to investigate the impact of plastic pollution and climate change in the Indian Ocean.

The landmark project employed specially equipped submersibles to explore the Aldabra Atoll, known as the ‘Galapagos of the Indian Ocean’ because its hundreds of species have been largely untouched by human activity.

Located on the edge of the Indian Ocean gyre, Aldabra is a rotating mass of water that draws in huge amounts of plastic rubbish from as far away as South East Asia.

Led by Sky News presenter Anna Botting alongside Mark Austin and Sky News science correspondent Thomas Moore, the series of one-hour live broadcasts from the ocean depths are simulcast on Sky Atlantic.

 

Other features of Deep Ocean Live include:

  •    Live descent to the deep ocean at Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage site
  •    Submarines with cameras, reporters and scientists on board descending below 200 metres
  •    Remote control cameras providing shots of the exploration
  •    Interaction with UK schoolchildren via live link to interact with what the submarines find
  •    Analysis of several species who are impacted by climate change and plastic pollution

Head of Sky News John Ryley said: “It’s with tremendous excitement but also trepidation that our team will embark on this ambitious project. Excitement about uncovering an area of the planet that has yet to be fully explored, trepidation that the scale of the problem may be even greater than we fear it to be.

“Broadcasting pictures from so far under the sea will take our audiences to places no one has been before. It will be an historic moment and a privilege for the team who will be part of those broadcasts from Aldabra Atoll.”