Explorer Reaches the Deepest Point in the Atlantic Ocean in Unprecedented Solo Submersible Dive
- Luis Roque
- Jan 9, 2019
- 2 min read
In a historic feat, explorer Victor Vescovo became the first human to dive on a solo mission to the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean.
Posted by Ocean News Published: 03 January 2019
The verified bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench at 8,376 meters/27,480 feet in his private submersible, the Limiting Factor.
The trench was previously explored to approximately 8,300 meters by the French submersible Archimede in 1964, but it did not reach the deepest point. The dive also makes the Limiting Factor the deepest diving operational submersible in the world, surpassing the previous operational record-holder, the Chinese submersible Jiaolong which has reportedly reached a maximum depth of 7,062 meters. A groundbreaking documentary series about the expedition is also being filmed by Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel and will air in 2019/2020. "
It was an extraordinary dive, and I am so proud of our international team for making it possible over the last few years. It felt great to get to the true bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in history and to prove the technical capabilities of this diving system, which we believe is now the deepest operational one in the world,” said Victor Vescovo. “We are really looking forward to continuing to the other dive sites and continuing our technical and scientific goals."
The next stop on the Five Deeps Expedition is the South Sandwich Trench, the deepest point in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. The South Sandwich Trench has not been thoroughly explored and is the only subzero Hadal zone -- deeper than 6,000 meters -- in the world. Due to its remote location, this dive poses many logistical and weather challenges, however the potential scientific findings could prove to be groundbreaking.
After the South Sandwich Trench dives in February of 2019, the remaining major trench dives planned for the Five Deeps Expedition include:
Java Trench (Indian Ocean, 7,290 meters)Mariana Trench/Challenger Deep (Pacific Ocean, 10,925 meters)Molloy Deep (Arctic Ocean, 5,573 meters) .
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