A LONGNIDDRY man has become the deepest diving Brit in history after diving 7,180m into the Java Trench.

Dr Alan Jamieson, a senior lecturer in marine ecology at Newcastle University and a former Preston Lodge High School pupil, is chief scientist on the Five Deeps Expedition, a specialist group who are seeking to dive to the deepest parts of each of the world’s oceans in a two-person submarine.

The Java Trench, the dive that earned Alan his new record, is also known as the Sunda Trench and is located in the Indian Ocean.

The Five Deeps Expedition is led by American explorer Victor Vescovo, who in 2017 became the 12th American ever to complete what is known as the Explorers Grand Slam, which involves climbing to the highest peak on all of the world’s continents and skiing 100 kilometres to the North and the South Pole.

Alan, 42, was asked to join the expedition after his research focused on the marine life in the hadal zone, a depth exceeding 6,000 metres.

John, Alan’s dad, who still lives on Charteris Road, Longniddry, said: “We’re naturally very proud of him.

“I mean, what he is doing is record-breaking.

“As a retired engineer, I can’t pretend to fully understand all the creatures he is finding, but it’s amazing.”

Alan is currently in Fiji preparing for the Pacific Ocean dive, with the last on the list, the Arctic Ocean, scheduled to take place in September.

The first dive in the Atlantic took place in December last year, with the Southern Ocean dive happening in February and the Indian Ocean dive last month.

John added: “[Alan] doesn’t always tell us when he’s going to dive, certainly his wife and mother, as we all do worry a little.

“He has been to all these places before for research, but usually sending machinery down there to collect samples with his feet firmly above the surface!”

As part of the crew, Alan, who lives in Newcastle with his wife and three children, has already discovered at least four new species of marine life in the hadal zone.