The Andrea Doria is often touted as the 'Mount Everest of diving'. On June 26, 2010, a diver from New Jersey, Carl Bayer, discovered the bridge bell lying on the bottom at 241 feet. This was a brilliant find and well deserved kudos to all involved in that retrieval.
But last week saw the accomplishment of something I didn't think would occur again in my lifetime. A manned mission to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of any ocean at the almost inconceivable depth of
seven miles and pressure of one thousand atmospheres!
But wait! Who was the intrepid aquanaut to brave the darkest depths? No less than acclaimed movie director and underwater addict James Cameron, the same famed filmmaker who brought us 'Titanic' and was a galvanizing force behind the filming of that wreck after the
discovery of her resting place by Dr. Robt. Ballard and the unmanned submersible Alvin.
Now he has gone deeper than any man before with the exception of the one previous excursion, with two intrepid crew members, to this depth by the bathyscaphe Trieste more than fifty years ago. I was only eight years old but I remember it well. Sadly that mission kicked up so much silt, it pretty much obscured anything that might have been gleaned from their cameras.
Note to divers: buoyancy control is everything. It is hoped that Cameron's vessel, Deepsea Challenger, has been more successful. It is fitted out as a movie studio shaped like an undersea torpedo!
To me, this is the earthbound equivalent of the moon landing. As a species, we have again dared to travel where no one has gone before. Live long and prosper...
Read All About It: James Cameron dives to deepest ocean point
Disclaimer: I am only an enthusiastic lay person with no expertise or intrinsic knowledge of this subject area. Any corrections or clarifications by those more knowledgeable would be more than welcome.
Stay wet!
