Solvation dynamics of coumarin 343 (C343) is studied in AOT microemulsion in near-critical propane. It is observed that the solvation dynamics for a water pool of w(0) = 15 at 10 MPa pressure is described by bimodal behavior having a short component of 215 ps (47%) and a long component of 14 ns (53%). These components are similar to those detected for other probes in microemulsions at 0.1 MPa pressure. This indicates that the water pool is unaffected by pressure. The slow dynamics is ascribed to the restricted mobility of the water molecules confined within the pool. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.