The World's Deepest Dive
By John Paul Holmes
Until recently 57 year old Canadian James Cameron was best known as a film maker. His films “Avatar” and “Titanic” were both huge successes. Part of his fascination with the story of the Titanic was that it sunk in waters that until recently were too deep to be accessible. As advances were made in the deep sea exploration technology over the past decade it reignited a dream he has had since the 1960's which was to be able to explore the most inaccessible area of the world. That is the deepest floor of the sea.
And the deepest part of the ocean is the Challenger section of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean 300 miles south west of the island of Guam. At that point the ocean floor is 35,756 feet (11,033 meters) below the surface of the ocean. By way of comparison average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 13,740 feet (4188 meters) and the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean is the Puerto Rico Trench at 5.4 miles, 28,374 feet (8,648 meters) and the deeps part of the Atlantic off the Florida coast of Port St. Lucie is only 2,800 feet deep (850 meters). Another way to look at it is that if you put Mount Everest in the Mariana Trench the top would still be 2.183 meters below the surface. In case you are wondering the trench is 7 miles deep, 1,580 miles long (2,542 kilometers) and 43 miles wide (69 kilometers).
| Feet | Ocean Depths |
| 165 | Scuba divers on air |
| 660 | 90% of ocean life lives to this depth |
| 800 | Submarines travel at this depth |
| 1,044 | The deepest recorded scuba dive |
| 3,300 | The last point reached by sunlight |
| 8,000 | Operating depth of an oil rig |
| 8,200 | The deepest diving whale travels here |
| 12,467 | Titanic's resting place |
| 25,262 | The deepest living fish, the Snailfish |
| 28,374 | Puerto Rico Trench |
| 29,029 | The peak of Mount Everest |
| 36,070 | The bottom of the Mariana Trench |
Deep Sea Challenge
It took the joint venture of Cameron and National Geographic and the Rolex Watch Company seven years to build the one man submarine called "Deepsea Challenger" that was able to make the dive on March 26, 2012. Cameron kept himself in excellent condition during that time in order to make the practice dives and ultimately the descent to the bottom of the trench. Those who know about such things were quoted as saying this endeavor was comparable to putting a man on the moon and according to Cameron the view of the bottom was like a moonscape.
He had an eight foot tower of LED lights to give illumination for the 3D cameras in the complete darkness of that depth. There were a couple of minor failures of the equipment he hoped to use to collect specimens but one piece of equipment worked very well. That was a Rolex watch attached to the outside of the submarine. It was still working when the submersible was hauled onto the deck of the mother ship. That is quite a feat when you realize that the pressure at that depth is eight tons per square inch.
The adventure was dubbed “Deep Sea Challenge” to commemorate the only other dive to that spot in the 1960's. Cameron is now one of only three persons to have completed the journey. This dive has been more productive in collecting data however due to the advances in retrieval methods, lighting and video. More dives are planned to map and discover what is down there.
During this initial dive Microsoft Cofounder Paul Allen and long time friend of Cameron was nearby on his 414' yacht “Octopus”, the world's 12th largest super yacht equipped with a helipad with two choppers on the top deck, a pool, and two submarines one of which is remote controlled and a dock for jet skis. During the decent and resurfacing of Deepsea Challenger Allen was busy posting live Twitter updates. That is something else that was not available in the 1960's.
This is a story that will keep the Indiana Jones adventurer in all of us on the edge of our seats as we follow each sequel over the next few years. Ahoy Matey!
Coming Soon - Watch for the release of the National Geographic show of this adventure, recounting the entire journey of the deepest dive. They are currently analyzing the data and videos from this dive and will share their findings once complete.
Back on the Surface
Visit the official website Deepsea Challenge for more images and details on this historical event.
About James Cameron
James Cameron is a one of the highest earning film directors in the United States winning numerous Academy Awards His directing career is credited to grossing over $6 billion worldwide. As a Canadian citizen Cameron has spent his entire adult life living and working in the United States. James Cameron's film making career has brought us some of the most exciting movies of our time:
- 1984 The Terminator
- 1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II
- 1986 Aliens
- 1989 The Abyss
- 1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- 1994 True Lies
- 1997 Titanic
- 2003 Ghosts of the Abyss
- 2009 Avatar
You cannot make a movie realistic without in-depth knowledge on the subject. Cameron has been an oceanography enthusiast all his life and has made 72 deep-sea submersible dives; 33 of these dives to the wreckage of the Titanic. Cameron became an expert on deep-sea exploration from his ongoing research and underwater filming of The Abyss and the Titanic. Cameron's expertise is not just used on movies making, he shares his knowledge as a member of the NASA Advisory Council, he supports the Mars Society, and he was an advisor for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill.
Perhaps the making of the popular movie The Abyss was his motivation to pursue his deep diving adventures. During the making of The Abyss filming below 40 feet of water was impossible. With to days new technology and Cameron's ongoing fascination with the deep sea, Cameron may someday create another deep-sea underwater adventure film. For more on James Cameron.
