Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean, a vast liquid plain of 550,000,000 hectares, becomes the stage for the second part of the Nautilus's extraordinary voyage. After the solemnity of the coral cemetery, the submersible enters these waters, and for Professor Aronnax, the ocean's transparent quality offers a dizzying perspective. The daily routine of observation, reading, and writing fills the hours, but the ocean's surface and depths soon deliver events that profoundly alter the travelers' understanding of their enigmatic host, Captain Nemo. It is here that the captain's past and his secret purposes begin to surface with unmistakable clarity.

The Pearl Fisheries of Ceylon and the Shark Attack

Captain Nemo proposes a visit to the famous pearl fisheries off the island of Ceylon, an invitation that fills Ned Land with enthusiasm but terrifies Aronnax, who learns they will be hunting sharks in their native element. The expedition takes place in the Gulf of Mannar, where the party, armed only with daggers, descends to the oysterbank. The highlight is a visit to a giant clam containing a pearl of incalculable value, which Nemo leaves to grow. The peaceful observation of a poor Indian diver is shattered when a gigantic shark attacks the man. Captain Nemo, with matchless bravery, immediately engages the monster in close combat, only to be overwhelmed. Ned Land saves the captain's life with a well-aimed harpoon, and Nemo, in turn, rescues the Indian diver, reviving him and presenting him with a bag of pearls. This act of profound generosity reveals that Nemo, despite his self-imposed exile, remains a man of the people, declaring, "That Indian, professor, lives in the land of the oppressed, and I am to this day, and will be until my last breath, a native of that same land!"

The Arabian Tunnel and the Passage to the Mediterranean

Continuing its journey, the Nautilus enters the Red Sea, a body of water Captain Nemo knows intimately. He reveals to a stunned Aronnax the existence of a secret underwater passageway connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, which he has named the Arabian Tunnel. This discovery, born from a naturalist's logic of observing identical fish species in both seas, demonstrates Nemo's scientific genius and his complete mastery of the submarine world. The Nautilus navigates the narrow, dark tunnel at great speed, emerging in the Mediterranean in less than twenty minutes. This feat not only showcases the ship's capabilities but also underscores Nemo's unique relationship with the sea, a realm where he has uncovered secrets unknown to the rest of humanity.

The Bay of Vigo and the Revelation of Nemo's Wealth

In the Atlantic, the Nautilus makes an unexpected stop in the Bay of Vigo, the site of a 1702 naval battle where Spanish galleons laden with treasure were scuttled. Aronnax watches in amazement as Nemo's crew, dressed in diving suits, harvests ingots of gold and silver from the wreckage. When Aronnax suggests this wealth could be used to help the world's poor, Nemo's response is explosive. He reveals that he does not amass this treasure for himself, but to aid oppressed peoples and to avenge victims. This outburst, combined with the earlier delivery of gold to a diver near Crete, confirms Aronnax's suspicion that Nemo is not merely a scientist fleeing society, but a revolutionary and a philanthropist funding a secret war against injustice.

The Lost Continent of Atlantis

A nocturnal excursion with Captain Nemo takes Aronnax to the depths of the Atlantic, where they walk through a petrified forest and climb a volcanic mountain. At the summit, the professor is stunned to see the ruins of an ancient city, a lost civilization. Nemo scrawls the word "ATLANTIS" on a rock, confirming the reality of the legendary continent. This discovery, a moment of pure scientific and historical wonder, provides a profound contrast to the violent events that follow. It represents the sublime, peaceful potential of Nemo's underwater world, a world of knowledge and beauty that exists far from the conflicts of the surface.

The Sinking of the Warship and the Final Escape

The voyage takes a dark turn when a warship begins to pursue and fire upon the Nautilus. Captain Nemo, transformed into an "archangel of hate," reveals his true purpose: vengeance. He identifies the ship as an oppressor and, with cold fury, uses the Nautilus's spur to ram and sink it, watching as the vessel and its crew disappear beneath the waves. This act of mass execution horrifies Aronnax, who realizes he has been an unwilling witness to a crime. The Nautilus then flees northward, and the captain retreats into a deep, melancholic silence. The final escape of Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned Land occurs during a desperate attempt that coincides with the Nautilus being caught in the fearsome Maelstrom off the coast of Norway, a fittingly chaotic and violent end to their journey through the Indian Ocean and beyond.