Russian President Putin goes 60 metres under the sea to see shipwreck in latest outlandish stunt

Russian President Vladimir Putin submerges on board Sea Explorer 5 bathyscaphe near the isle of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland on July 15 2013

MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin’s latest media event was modest by the stunt-happy Russian leader’s standards — a half-hour trip to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland to see a shipwreck.

He didn’t even find any treasure.

Putin on Monday rode a small submersible craft 60 meters down to see the remains of the naval frigate Oleg, which sank in 1869, Russian news reports said.

The remains, being examined by marine archaeologists, lie off the island of Gogland 180 kilometers west of St. Petersburg.

Putin’s penchant for adventurous stunts included a trip to the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, and a scuba dive in which he brought up pottery shards that his spokesman later admitted had been planted.