James Cameron to explore the deepest depths of the ocean

spatman · Post by **spatman** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:56 am

He’s hoping to reach Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the world's oceans, later this month. The site is part of the Mariana Trench near Guam in the western Pacific.

http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03 ... ?hpt=hp_c2

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:02 pm

Neat. Sounds like he's gonna beat Branson's Virgin Oceanic team there. They were supposed to do it last year, but they kept pushing the date off...

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:57 pm

I was reading about this last week, man if I only had the resources... To go somewhere so deep where almost nobody has visited and see things no other man has has to be a hell of a experience.

spatman wrote:
He’s hoping to reach Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the world's oceans, later this month. The site is part of the Mariana Trench near Guam in the western Pacific.
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03 ... ?hpt=hp_c2

LCF · Post by **LCF** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:33 pm

I think it's fantastic, in a world where government has run out of resources, that private individuals who HAVE them are keeping the spirit of adventure and exploration alive.

oldsalt · Post by **oldsalt** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:49 pm

When the Navy sent two men down to Challenger Deep in 1960, it was a shoestring operation that only succeeded because of the courage and resourcefulness of the people involved. Two anecdotes reveal how primitive their effort was.

The sphere that held the operators was constructed of three pieces held together by epoxy. Just before the record setting dive, the epoxy cracked causing the sphere to leak. At the time epoxy was an experimental, high tech material, and they couldn't get more. Don Walsh decided not to tell his seniors, placed gasket material between the pieces, and figured the pressure of the ocean would hold it together.

When Don and Jacque Piccard descended into Challenger Deep their depth guage showed they had reached the bottom long before their depth sounder picked up the bottom. They just continued on down. Afterwards they found the guage had been calibrated in fresh water (It was built in Switzerland).

The fact that this has never been repeated in over a half century indicates that these people did something special. Those of you who have never heard the story would enjoy chasing it down. Also, the successor to the bathyscaph is on display at the Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport, a place well worth a visit to anyone interested in the heritage of diving.
-Curt

ArcticDiver · Post by **ArcticDiver** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:55 pm

Thanks for the history lesson. I am always fascinated by authoritative stories about what really happened.

DiverDown · Post by **DiverDown** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:56 pm

From what I heard on NPR today. Sounds like he is planning the descent some time in the coming week. He plans on spending 6 hrs on the bottom. Observing and filming. I cannot wait for that to come out on imax...

Bric Martin · Post by **Bric Martin** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 11:36 am

Cameron will be flying solo, maybe the ultimate solo dive! On a side note, I believe that this is same project that Mike Degruy and Andrew Wight died on recently.

spatman · Post by **spatman** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:16 pm

nytimes article on Cameron's submersible:

http://nyti.ms/zQaDmJ

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:22 pm

+1 on the Naval Undersea Warfare museum in Keyport. Cool place and its not just all guns and hardware, there's a ton of human history there dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil wars there. We have taken out-of-town guests there several times and they always enjoy it.
http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/index1.htm

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:24 pm

CaptnJack wrote:+1 on the Naval Undersea Warfare museum in Keyport. Cool place and its not just all guns and hardware, there's a ton of human history there dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil wars there. We have taken out-of-town guests there several times and they always enjoy it.
http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/index1.htm

I've been wanting to go there for years. Gotta make a point of it soon...

John Rawlings · Post by **John Rawlings** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:35 pm

Joshua Smith wrote:
CaptnJack wrote:+1 on the Naval Undersea Warfare museum in Keyport. Cool place and its not just all guns and hardware, there's a ton of human history there dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil wars there. We have taken out-of-town guests there several times and they always enjoy it.
http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/index1.htm
I've been wanting to go there for years. Gotta make a point of it soon...

I'll split the gas and ferry with you....

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 6:09 pm

John Rawlings wrote:
Joshua Smith wrote:
CaptnJack wrote:+1 on the Naval Undersea Warfare museum in Keyport. Cool place and its not just all guns and hardware, there's a ton of human history there dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil wars there. We have taken out-of-town guests there several times and they always enjoy it.
http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/index1.htm
I've been wanting to go there for years. Gotta make a point of it soon...
I'll split the gas and ferry with you....

Ok, but I won't hold your hand this time.

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:48 pm

They have every US Navy torpedo ever used as well as several from other nations, including a Kraken (I think that's the name - a manned Japanese torpedo). The German WW2 torpedo is particularly interesting, there's probably $10,000 worth of bronze on the nose, lovingly polished. The displays discuss the myriad of propulsion and guidance strategies attempted over the years and their shortcomings. Also copies of a couple mines, a room on oceanography, and another room about submariner families. They have maybe 20 different diving helmets used over the years as well the Trieste 2 out front (they wish it wasn't in the rain but have no indoor space for it, the Trieste 1 is on the east coast at the Smithsonian I think). Its free but I always enjoy it so put $5 in the box out front.

oldsalt · Post by **oldsalt** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 5:19 pm

The Keyport Museum is all that and more (e.g. SEAL delivery vehicles). Trieste I (which is actually the second bathyscaphe built) rests in the Navy Museum at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C.

Cameron has done some deep test dives and revealed his innovative submersible design - vertically trimmed rather than horizontal.
http://deepseachallenge.com/latest-news ... ve-to-deep

As much as I respect Don Walsh, bordering on reverence, I applaud Cameron's efforts in the great tradition of wealthy adventurers who advanced aviation, polar exploration, and ocean exploration.
-Curt

ArcticDiver · Post by **ArcticDiver** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:42 pm

CaptnJack wrote:...there's a ton of human history there dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil wars there. ...

And, to me, that is the most important part. Oh, I like to see the toys, big and small. But, the REAL story is with the people. Sometimes a lot can be infered from the machines. But, it is so much better to get the info as direct as one can.

airsix · Post by **airsix** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:46 pm

I can't believe the utter lack of media coverage this expedition is receiving. There are a few scattered reports (France, Guam...) saying Cameron started his dive on the 22nd. The Mermaid Sapphire's daily marine report for yesterday (22nd) shows that at midnight they were at sea but still doing pre-dive checks and visiting native islanders. It didn't exactly sound like go-time. That was 29 hours ago. You'd think someone somewhere would post SOMETHING!

I hate wait.

ktb · Post by **ktb** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:26 pm

He made it down!! I can't wait to see the video.

http://deepseachallenge.com/

spatman · Post by **spatman** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:50 pm

more details:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ience-sub/

ktb · Post by **ktb** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:37 pm

airsix wrote:I can't believe the utter lack of media coverage this expedition is receiving.

Here here! The national news tonight didn't have a peep. WTH?

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:58 pm

The CBC, at least online, have been mentioning it regularly ('course, he IS Canadian :-) )

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012 ... -deep.html

ktb · Post by **ktb** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:47 pm

He's back on the surface!

http://news.yahoo.com/james-cameron-rea ... 16087.html

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 8:22 pm

Too freaking cool! First time in my lifetime any human has been there! I remember reading about Picard and Walsh's dive as a kid, and wondering why they hadn't gone back......and I kept wondering, for the next 35 years or so....to me, this is huge. Seems like we're on the brink of a new age of deep sea exploration!

ktb · Post by **ktb** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:45 pm

Joshua Smith wrote:Too freaking cool! First time in my lifetime any human has been there! I remember reading about Picard and Walsh's dive as a kid, and wondering why they hadn't gone back......and I kept wondering, for the next 35 years or so....to me, this is huge. Seems like we're on the brink of a new age of deep sea exploration!

I couldn't agree more! I remember how mesmerized I was when Bob Ballard discovered the first hydrothermal vents on the JASON project and now that we can send people down to depths beyond that . . .?!? I am so excited to see the footage!!

John Rawlings · Post by **John Rawlings** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:33 am

Some topside pics from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17508955

Northwest Dive Club