BBC Focus Magazine

[M Paul Lloyd]

Well the good people at Focus central have every reason to feel pretty smug about this as they actually predicted James Cameron might get there first.

By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News, Guam
Hollywood director James Cameron has returned to the surface after plunging nearly 11km (seven miles) down to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific.
He made the solo descent in a submarine called Deepsea Challenger, taking over two hours to reach the bottom.
He spent more than four hours exploring the ocean floor, before a speedy ascent back to the surface.
His craft was kitted out with cameras so he could film the deep in 3D.
"It was absolutely the most remote, isolated place on the planet," Mr Cameron told BBC News.
"I really feel like in one day I've been to another planet and come back."
This is only the second manned expedition to the ocean's deepest depths - the first took place in 1960 when US Navy Lt Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard spent about 20 minutes on the ocean floor in a bathyscaphe called the Trieste.

More here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17503395
A bit of video footage.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17521115

[Lateralman]

I thought the unsung hero who jumped ship with the cannon ball tucked down the back of his trousers in the film, ‘Master and Commander,’ was the first to reach the bottom.

[Shadowwolf]

Reaching the bottom is not the important factor, reaching the bottom of one of the deepest known places is.

Also, being alive is generally a sought after requirement for being noteworthy in any given endeavour.

[...]

Quote MPL "Well the good people at Focus central have every reason to feel pretty smug about this as they actually predicted James Cameron might get there first."


he got there third didnt he?

[Shadowwolf]

He is the third person Mr @@ but he is the first solo dive, however, I'm not altogether convinced that being solo is something terribly noteworthy.

Being in such a difficult to access place is noteworthy don't get me wrong, I just don't see the solo part as notable.

[Shadowwolf]

Also, being alive is generally a sought after requirement for being noteworthy in any given endeavour.

Oh, and of course I over looked the most obvious, that the guy was fictional.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Quote MPL "Well the good people at Focus central have every reason to feel pretty smug about this as they actually predicted James Cameron might get there first."


he got there third didnt he?

A fair point @@ but what I failed to clarify was that he beat the other current contenders rather than Piccard and Walsh who were first, but rather that Cameron was the first of the current group to do it as it were.

You'll have to forgive me but I'm currently recovering from surgery so my jusdgement may be a tad impaired perhaps?

[MikeG]

Well the good people at Focus central have every reason to feel pretty smug about this as they actually predicted James Cameron might get there first

he got there third didnt he?

Maybe we can credit him with being th first o get there and actually see something

[M Paul Lloyd]

I'm pretty sure Piccard and Walsh saw some things, can't recall what exactly, but Cameron did bring back video footage and (I think) samples?
One of the problems with the Trieste, and why it was not repeated, was due to it relying on parrafin as a bouyancy medium which has all sorts of associated contamination problems, oh and the window cracked, which must have been a rather scary moment.