A New Suggestion by Captain Nemo
- A month passes.
- The Nautilus surfaces near Sri Lanka.
- Nemo asks Aronnax if he'd like to visit a pearl fishing ground. Of course, Aronnax says yes.
- It's too early for pearl diving, Nemo says, so they'll have the place to themselves. The pearl divers, poor Indians who dive from small boats, won't show up for a while.
- Nemo and Aronnax discuss the primitive, pitiable conditions these divers toil under.
- Though Nemo warns Aronnax that the waters are shark-infested, he doesn't tell Ned and Conseil. Aronnax explains how pearls work, slipping in a few comments about sharks along the way. Eventually, he tells Ned the grim news in the most casual way possible.
- To Aronnax's surprise, both Ned and Conseil are cool with this adventure anyway.