7 miles deep

Congratulations to James Cameron and the DeepSea Challenge team!

On March 26th, Cameron achieved something historic when he went to the deepest point on our ocean planet, Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep, about seven miles (11 kilometers) below the ocean surface. It is located approximately 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Guam in the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.
Cameron’s feat was the first solo dive to the deepest known point on Earth. In 1960, retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh and late Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard descended the 35,756 feet in the Navy submersible Trieste. Of the dive, Cameron said he felt like he had “gone to another planet.”
Unlike the Trieste, Cameron, with the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, was able to conduct extensive scientific exploration, with much more planned. In fact, the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE program‘s got great potential for increasing public interest in the ocean and enhancing ocean science education.