ALPHONSE ATOLL, Seychelles (AP) — A young scientist from the Seychelles has become the first known Seychellois to explore deep below scuba depth in the largely uncharted waters of her island nation.

The 23-year-old Stephanie Marie looked stunned on Friday when she was offered a seat in a submersible that would carry out a technical test dive near the tiny atoll of Alphonse.

She told The Associated Press that "this is really an amazing opportunity." The offer came on International Women's Day.

The marine researcher is taking part in the British-led Nekton Mission to explore the Indian Ocean, one of the last major unexplored frontiers.

The mission expects to discover new species and document evidence of climate change.

The AP is the only news agency working with British scientists from the Nekton research team.