Completed the 1st human descent to the bottom of the Atacama Trench with Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa of Chile. Preliminary maximum depth of 8,062 m. Extraordinary marine life observed: very many holothurians, rock faces showing chemosynthesis, and the largest bacterial tendrils I've seen.
Just two weeks ago, it appears we beat our own 2020 record of 9000m for the deepest jellyfish ever filmed. This clip is from 10,000m in the Philippine Trench, a gorgeous trachymedusae called Crossata. (Identified by Prof. Alan Jamieson, our Chief Scientist)
Just completed the deepest wreck dive in history, to find the main wreckage of the destroyer USS Johnston. We located the front 2/3 of the ship, upright and intact, at a depth of 6456 meters. Three of us across two dives surveyed the vessel and gave respects to her brave crew.
With sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet, I piloted the submersible Limiting Factor to the wreck of the Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413). Resting at 6,895 meters, it is now the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed. It was indeed the "destroyer escort that fought like a battleship."
This has been a difficult week for the submersible community. Deep ocean diving is very safe when industry standard certifications and procedures are followed. I will miss my good friends PH Nargeolet, who I worked with closely, and Hamish Harding, my friend in sea and space.
If the photo yesterday was great, I think this video is even better. This hadal jellyfish, again, at 7396 (!) meters, is just beautiful watch. It floats in like a spaceship, but at 0:30 begins to thrust. It comes back around 1:00 to investigate the lander. Simply amazing.
Part of the dive on the Sammy B. It appears her bow hit the seafloor with some force, causing some buckling. Her stern also separated about 5 meters on impact, but the whole wreck was together. This small ship took on the finest of the Japanese Navy, fighting them to the end.
Congratulations to Nicole Yamase, the first citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to dive to the bottom of Challenger Deep. The Deep is actually in the FSM's territory, so we were happy to welcome not only a local citizen but the first marine botanist on a descent.
Just back up from Challenger Deep! My co-pilot was Dr. Kathy Sullivan - now the first woman to the bottom of the ocean and a former astronaut as well as NOAA Administrator! Big congratulations to her! This was my 3rd time to the bottom. Well done by the crew, Triton, and EYOS.
I have been asked to comment by many in media and other avenues, but I am sorry, I have no comment at this time. I have good friends onboard the submersible.
Some additional photos from the Sammy B. The bow, the fallen mast, the gap between fore and aft where she was hit by a battleship round, and the aft turret . . . where the brave and mortally wounded GM3 Paul H. Carr died trying to place a final round into the broken breech.
This video shows a "pasture" of holothurians (sea cucumbers) grazing at the bottom of the Atacama Trench, near 8,060 meters. This is the most dense collection of holothurians I have ever seen in a Hadal Trench, showing the large volume of life in this deep ocean ecosystem.
Yesterday, made the first human descent to the bottom of the Izu-Bonin Trench, making Dr. Katsu Michibayashi the deepest-diving Japanese ever (initial data indicates 9,789m max depth). Saw unusually large crinoids, mantle rock from the subducting plate, and a jelly at 9,703m.
Some additional pictures from the Sammy B, highlighting the caution needed when diving military wrecks. You can spot the white-tipped rounds in the loading rack of the forward 40mm gun, as well as a depth charge still in its rolling launcher. She also rests on a steep slope.
It has regularly been said: "More people have walked on the moon than have been to the bottom of the ocean."
As a result of our six dives to Challenger Deep in the past three weeks and our activities last year:
That is no longer true.
Some additional photos of the western edge of the Eastern Pool, Challenger Deep. The terrain was very rocky, steep in many places. You can almost feel the two tectonic plates colliding there.
Yesterday, one of our robotic landers captured this amazing footage of a Ploychaete emerging from the base layer of the Challenger Deep. Also known as a Bristleworm, it is a beautiful life form living in the deepest, most hostile place on our world.
#lifefindsaway
#ChallengerDeep
Continued our dives in the Atacama Trench yesterday with Dr. Ruben Escribano of Chile. Dove to ~7,200 meters near the Richards Deep, witnessing growths of ultra-deep ocean coral, Elpidids Peniagone (the small animals), and unknown colors (bacterial matting?) on rock outcroppings.
Here are some pictures from a lander dropped near the Fukishima seaquake epicenter - at approximately 7700m. The local residents appear to have recovered reasonably well and were rather interested in their visitor.
It's been so wonderful to share the story of the USS Johnston with so many people. Her crew and Captain, Ernest Evans - the first Native American in the Navy to be awarded the Medal of Honor, were extraordinarily heroic. Here's video from the dive and the bridge they fought from.
Here is a clip of what it is like to skim the bottom of a deep ocean trench (the San Cristobal, South Pacific) at a depth of 8484 meters in a submersible. It feels like skimming the surface of another planet like Europa or Ganymede in a spacecraft.
Another video from the survey dive on the Sammy B. This one is from the starboard side near the bridge and forward gun mounts. We kept our distance because we spotted potentially live shells in the 40mm gun, and later towards the stern, depth charges still in their racks.
Congratulations to Dr. Deo Onda of the Philippines for joining me in the first descent to the bottom of the Philippine Trench, the third deepest in the world. It was the first-ever crewed dive there. We spent ~three hours exploring the area and going up its western ridge.
On June 18, pilot Tim Macdonald (L) and sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet (R), onboard the submersible Limiting Factor, located a torpedo rack undeniably from the USS Samuel B Roberts (DE 413): "The Destroyer Escort that fought like a battleship" during the Battle off Samar, 1944.
Caladan's Chief Scientist, Dr. Alan Jamieson, believes that in June we might have filmed the deepest jellyfish ever seen -- at the Nero Deep (9,066 meters) in the Mariana Trench. It's a trachymedusae, filmed by one of our three full ocean depth landers. Gorgeous, no?
Captain Don Walsh, USN, passed away peacefully at his home in Oregon yesterday. He bravely piloted the first craft to the bottom of the Ocean with his colleague Jacques Piccard. An extraordinary explorer, oceanographer, and human being. I'm so honored I could call him my friend.
Daily dose of the Deep Ocean. Wonderful footage of the denizens of the deep, checking out this lander thing that dropped in. Depth is approximately 9000 meters. The busy one is a Dumbo octopus. The assfish, typically, is lurking in the background.
Blue Origin built the first suborbital rocket to return from space, land vertically, and be used again. Similarly, my submersible Limiting Factor is the first vessel to repeatedly dive to the ocean's deepest point. Finally: the arrival of economical, extreme machine reusability!
Just completed the first human dive to the bottom of the Kermadec Trench, the 4th-deepest trench in the world, northeast of New Zealand. The preliminary maximum depth reached, according to submersible instruments, was 10,012 meters. Rather chaotic geology and marine life.
Just executed the first crewed descent to the very bottom of the San Cristobal Trench south of the Solomon Islands. Bottoming out at a preliminary 8483 meters, the bottom had a rather unique topography. Also, saw a jellyfish at a very deep 8423 meters.
Dr. Dawn Wright and I completed a dive to 10,919m +/- 6m at the bottom of Challenger Deep (my 15th visit), Western Pool. We successfully tested a new 11,000 meter-capable sidescan sonar which will allows us to more precisely scan and map the seafloor in the future, at any depth.
The BBC did a much better job of covering the discovery of the deepest fish ever recorded. This was a great scientific discovery led by the Chief Scientist onboard, Prof. Alan Jamieson of UWA. Caladan Oceanic's Lander "Flere" caught the fish on camera.
Okay. This is the most savage, vertical wall I've yet seen anywhere. It was at about 10,500 meters along the South Wall of the Eastern Pool, Challenger Deep. This, right here, is the jagged edge of the Pacific subducting plate crashing into the Philippine Plate. >150 meters high.
Another fascinating clip from the bottom of the Izu-Bonin Trench at ~9760m. We came across a "conclave" of two ultra-deep "Eye of Sauron" jellies alongside two holothurians. I have to imagine this is what it will be like to find life on another world on, say, Europa, or Ganymede.
So fortunate to have been able to ascend 106 km into space yesterday on
@BlueOrigin
's New Shephard. Amazing to see the blackness of space and experience zero-g. I hope the flight continues mankind's efforts to increase overall experience with repeatable, reusable space flight.
Thank you, John Oliver, for your wonderful, long-form piece covering Deep Sea Mining and why we should not move forward with it. The facts, combined with some appropriate, scathing wit, was welcome to the debate. (Episode 14, available this week on HBO Max)
The team is currently investigating the underwater epicenter of the Fukishima seaquake near the Japan trench. This video from the sub shows the vertical cliff caused by the quake (ignore the date, which is incorrect). It was a massive dislocation, over 40 meters we believe.
Made the first human descent of the Ryukyu Trench on 8/7 with Prof. Alan Jamieson of the Univ. of Western Australia with the blessing of the Japanese science team onboard. -Very- heavy sediment layers along the eastern subduction slope, plus animals, and alas, human detritus.
Was reviewing footage from our six dives to Challenger Deep this year. If you ever wondered what, exactly, it looks like at the precise point of impact between two massive tectonic plates in the bottom of the Challenger Deep . . . well, here you go:
Wanted to share some photos from the never-before-visited cliffs along the western edge of the Eastern Pool of Challenger Deep, graciously sponsored by Dylan Taylor (pictured, left) last year. Note the bacteria colonies/tendrils from the rocks and serpentization at ~10,875m.
The second major paper published recently documents our team's discovery of the *deepest jellyfish ever recorded*. A Trachymedusa at 10,063m, a Octacnemidae at 8,077m, and a Ctenophore at 10,040m. That last one was in the Kermadec Trench visited in 2022.
Apologies - this isn't ocean-related, but this is the best footage I have seen of what the summit of Everest, and the South Col-based route leading to it, looks like. Very fortunate to have been there in 2010 in very bad weather (visibility about 50m)
Back from the bottom of Challenger Deep - my ninth dive there. Was accompanied by Richard Garriott, the incoming President of the Explorer's Club. We were able to spend two hours on the seafloor, continuing our exploration of this, the deepest point on the planet. More to come.
Just arrived in beautiful Antofagasta, Chile to join the Caladan Oceanic crew and the Chilean Science Team led by Dr. Ulloa Osvaldo. Looking forward to getting underway tonight to map the deepest areas of the Atacama Trench, and dive hopefully on Thursday.
It's so wonderful to see the former DSV Limiting Factor, rechristened as Inkfish's Bakunawa, in new livery exploring the deeps of the Pacific Ocean. It was always the intention to get the sub to a great organization that could continue its amazing marine scientific research.
More photos from the Izu-Bonin Trench dive recently made with Dr. Michibayahsi. Some unusually pronounced parallel ridges in this trench I've not really seen elsewhere. Currently, we're headed north in worsening weather towards the Japan Trench, mapping the seafloor on the way.
Life finds a way. At 8 tons per square inch of saltwater pressure, no light, and freezing temperatures, small amphipods feast on some bait attached to Lander "Flere" at the very bottom of Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench. Just amazing and to me, beautiful.
What does it take to find the deepest shipwreck ever? An amazing Triton submersible, a great former US Navy ship, but most of all, an extraordinary team. Ship's crew, sub team, expedition support -- it takes a great deal of talent, and is much harder than it may seem.
One more scientific discovery that reinforces just how little we know of the deep sea floor. We need to study it more before we start strip-mining it for minerals that are used in yesterday's battery technologies.
We are back out exploring near Samar island in the Philippines, looking for the other lost vessels from the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf, 1944. We found the main hull of the Johnston last year, and seeking her other fallen brethren in one of the Navy's bravest actions ever.
Completed another dive to the bottom of Challenger Deep yesterday. Congratulations to Vanessa O'Brien, the mission specialist who dove with me. She is now the only woman to climb Everest and journey to the bottom of the ocean. We spent three hours mapping the bottom.
On August 20th, Prof. Hiroshi Kitazato and I reached the bottom of the Japan Trench - its first human descent. We reached 8010m +/- 4m (sub sensors), a bit shallower than the max depth a few kilometers away (measured by sonar). Hiroshi-san is now the second-deepest Japanese ever.
I have sometimes been asked why we didn't release the exact locations of the deep wrecks we found over the past two years (USS Johnston and S. B. Roberts). Here is why. And shame on the Chinese government for allowing this.
BBC Future did a nice story on how we located and surveyed the world's deepest shipwreck in April, the USS Johnston. It was an amazing ship that fought valiantly in World War 2 at the Battle of Leyte Gulf under her amazing captain, CDR Ernest E. Evans.
A regular styrofoam coffe cup:
Left: At sea level (~1 bar, or 15 psi)
Right: After visiting Challenger Deep (~1,098 bar, or 15,920 psi)
Credit: Dr. Dawn Wright, 2022 Descent
So happy to make the first human descent of the Palau Trench with former President of Palau Tommy Remengesau, Jr. Max depth reached was 8,027m. Saw some great wildlife and ascended a very steep wall. But also, heartbreakingly and all too common, a piece of human contamination.
A two-month expedition with our Japanese scientific partners is wrapping up. A total of 7 submersible dives and 63 lander deployments were made throughout three of the four deep ocean Japanese trenches. More details forthcoming. . . but here is a great shot from the last dive.
More visitors from the never-before visited deep end of the Philippine Trench. This beautiful creature, living in total darkness its whole life, is the hadal decapod Benthesicymus crenatus. Filmed it at 7000m, obviously enjoying its feast.
#hadalfeast
About to launch for the Western Pool of Challenger Deep with Dr. Dawn Wright of ESRI. Looking forward to exploring the unexplored subduction zone (and possible walls?) along its southern edge during this 10.5 - 11 hour dive. Landers Flere and Closp have a head start on us . . .
Good news: Just received a permit from the Chilean government to conduct a science mission off the Chilean coast in the Atacama Trench. Hoping to make the first crewed descent there in late January. You can follow the ship's location and progress here:
Headed to Jamaica to the ISA conference to help oppose mining of the deep sea floor. The environmental damage would be extensive and non-recoverable, but heavily ignored is that its technical and financial viability is *extremely* questionable.
My home of Dallas, Texas experienced a total solar eclipse today: it was amazing. To get above the local clouds, I flew two friends above the layer to 7,500 feet. Enrique A. was able to take this amazing photo of the sun's corona. Henschel O. is in the back checking for traffic.
I would argue that it is increasingly likely that the first life we find on other moons or planets will be in their oceans . . . hence the need to learn as much as we can about life in our own deep oceans, to be prepared.
Here's the video of the bottle Dr. Dawn Wright and I discovered at the bottom of the Western Pool, Challenger Deep on July 12 of this year. Tragic. Glass doesn't decompose in the ocean, so please, please don't throw bottles into the sea. It will be there for a *very* long time.
Yesterday, piloted the first human descent of the Yap Trench (SW of the Mariana Trench) with Master Navigator Sesario Sewrawul of the Federated States of Micronesia. We conducted a full 3km traverse of the trench and ascended a 1000m wall on its eastern side. Max depth of 8934m.
Some additional pictures taken during the Ryukyu Trench dive of Aug 7th at approximately 7,320 meters. A baby cusk eel, a rich pasture of holothurians, a very thick sediment-heavy slope, and, alas, a near-pristine plastic container - with lid.
The expedition continues over the Fukishima seaquake area, but in reviewing lander footage from this past August in the Mariana Trench, we spotted this beautiful jelly at 7396 meters (Pectis profundicola or Benthocodon hyalinus). Snailfish to the right enjoying a light snack.
The debate over Deep Sea Mining is intensifying. It's no secret I'm firmly against it not just for environmental reasons, but because I firmly believe it just won't work financially or technically. The Ocean Foundation just published a great new analysis:
A dive at Challenger Deep (CD) was completed on July 5th with Tim Macdonald as pilot and Jim Kitchen as mission specialist. They were able to survey a new area of the southern wall of CD, Eastern Pool. Continued evidence of bacterial mats at 10,900+ meters, and . . . a bone?
One more video from the Hadal depths of the Mariana Trench. A snailfish that has enjoyed perhaps the best meal he has had in a long while approaches the camera and certainly appears to make a big grin directly at it at around 0:24. Perhaps it's saying thanks? Adorable face.
This is why we study the seafloor. It might not seem important to many, but we need to explore and understand deep ocean geology. Our thoughts and hopes are with the people of Tonga after this massive marine geological event.
Congratulations to Triton Submarines on their latest extraordinary creation, the AVA (Advanced Versatile Acrylics). It has arc seating for -nine- persons to a depth of 660 feet (about 4x maximum scuba depth). Amazing.
We just released the formal press release summarizing the the recent two-month expedition executed in Japanese waters with their scientific community. 7 sub dives, 63 lander drops, and an immense amount of cutting edge marine science executed.
Views of the Limiting Factor at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, filmed by Lander "Closp." (One can also see small amphipods, who live at that crushing depth, feasting on mackerel in front of the camera.) We certainly must look like an alien craft to the locals . . .
It's official: I sold my diving system (the ship Pressure Drop + submersible Limiting Factor) to Gabe Newell's Inkfish. It was never my plan to hold on to it indefinitely and it could not have found a better home. Scientific exploration will continue.
Yesterday we just completed the deepest, longest dive ever. Mission specialist John Rost and I explored the Eastern Pool of the Challenger Deep for 4 hours, 7 seven minutes and traveled almost 2 miles on the bottom. Baby Yoda (shown) guided us. This is the way.
From 10,000 meters in the never-before-visited Philippine Trench -- large colonies of Galatheas. They might look like plants, but they are actually small animals. If brought to the surface, they close up tightly, but here on the bottom, they open spectacularly.
#lifefindsaway
A great author, and friend, Susan Casey has just released her new book: "The Underworld." A wonderful testament to the complexity, beauty, and importance of the deep ocean. I encourage you to check it out.
Not ocean related, but was very happy to solo in a glider yesterday for the first time. Just trying to point out that whatever your age or circumstance, one should never, ever stop learning new things, exploring, and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.
The P. Drop just docked in Yokohama, ending Phase I of our Japanese expedition. The last three weeks have seen: 34 lander deployments in 4 trenches, 4 sub dives, 63k sq km of mapping, 240km of CTD data, 3.5TB of video, 350 liters of eDNA water, and 4 new species identified.
Just completed our "South Pacific 2021" expedition which saw the first crewed descents to the bottom of the San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, New Hebrides, and Kermadec Trenches. No media coverage in my home the US, but the British were kind:
BBC4 over in England did a nice production, asking me to recount what it was like to dive in various trenches. No commentator, just my voice, which was a unique format. Just putting it out there if interested.
From the recent dive to the USS Johnston. We're working on making a documentary combining the history of the ship and the dives, but I wanted to share these clips authorized for release. Bow, bridge, forward guns, and fore torpedo rack. She went down fighting hard.
A great article by Susan Casey ("The Underworld") describing why the deep submersible industry is one of the safest modes of transportation in the world - with the exception of what happened to the Titan, an absolute outlier.
Thank you Omega for asking me to help open your newest store in downtown Washington DC. It was great to tell the story of how we worked together to create the 6000-meter rated Ultra Deep Seamaster. An amazing piece of technology.
A video of myself and Jeremie Morizet of France, expert sonar specialist with Deep Ocean Search, from inside the submersible Limiting Factor at the moment that we found the Sammy B.
Back from our third dive to Challenger Deep in just five days with the DSV Limiting Factor. Hamish Harding (UAE) and I traveled over 4,630m (2.9 miles!) on the bottom, exploring new areas of the Mariana Trench. The wall created by the subducting Pacific Plate was intense!
Don Walsh passed this week, and completely coincidentally, he had placed the watch he wore on his historic 1960 dive in Trieste to Challenger Deep up for auction: an Aquastar 60. I won the auction yesterday, and am very happy to keep the timepiece in the Deep Ocean Community.
Thanks to our expedition's Chief of Sonar and Mapping, Cassie Bongiovanni, here is a wonderful (and long) fly-through of the entirety of the Aleutian Trench (off Alaska). I don't believe this has ever been created or seen before. Enjoy.
Just returned from Dubai, where family and friends said farewell to Hamish Harding who perished on Oceangate's Titan this summer. He was a great adventurer, explorer, and friend, and we will all miss him very much. The fires of exploration burn a bit dimmer without him.
Very fortunate to attend a special tribute at the NY Explorer's Club to honor Captain Don Walsh, who with Jacques Piccard, were the first people to dive Challenger Deep. Later, Don, RADM T. Gallaudet (frmr NOAA) and I posed with a US Navy Flag I took down on my first trip there.
My favorite picture from the Pacific Black Hole . . . a Bassozetus (aka Robust Ass Fish, yes, that is actually its name) photobombing the Penaeid (red shrimp). Also, the white Alicella Gigantea made a showing. Adorable creatures, if you ask me. (Depth = ~6100-6400m)
When your rocket launch is delayed, try another adventure . . . Two of my fellow astronauts and I went over and hiked up the highest mountain in Texas, Guadalupe Peak (8,751'/ 2,667m). Why not?
Here are some additional nice photos of the wildlife we encountered on our recent mission. Please note the abundance of life living among the polymetallic nodules on the seafloor. Not sure how one could mine them without disturbing the animals' habitat.
I know it doesn't look exciting, but we have been able to collect seafloor sediment from the area of the Fukishima seaquake. Scientifically, this is important, which combined with an analysis of the sealife density, can help us understand what happened and the marine effects.
A great drone shot of the summit of the great Ecuadorian volcano Chimborazo after our ascent -- the tallest peak as measured from the center of the Earth. And yes, we got very lucky with the weather. (Video credit: the extremely strong lead guide Estalin Suarez of Ecuador)
We just released our latest video short covering our recent dives to the Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench with Dr. Dawn Wright of ESRI as well as our first human descents into the Yap and Palau Trenches with members of their nations. It can be viewed here: