On March 25th, 2012, James Cameron, the director behind Avatar and Titanic, traveled to the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the Mariana Trench at almost 7 miles total. Equipped with a one man submersible eight years in the making, he was able to stay at the bottom for over six hours in order to collect 3D footage and other available samples. However, a trip such as this doesn’t come cheap. The last eight years have cost Cameron vast amounts of money as he has personally paid for the construction of his sub, the first of its kind. On top of that he has spent these last few years perfecting the sub and putting it through many trails in order to maximize its ability to collect useful data as well as bring him back alive. The pressure at this depth can kill a human instantly were there a single leak in the structure of the sub so there is no room for error. Man certainly does not have dominion at these depths.
The “vertical torpedo”, as the sub is called, features an 8 foot tall board of LED lights to illuminate the deep like never before. This allowed Cameron to collect the first useful footage of the Mariana Trench ever, all shot in 3D. It also has claws for collecting sediment samples, storage compartments for collecting species, and various gauges for taking readings about the environment. While this sounds like a lot, all the data aside, he has now gone where few have gone before. To be exact, only three people have ever visited Challenger Deep and one has already passed away. However, the last voyage was 50 years ago and, due to inferior technology, the last voyage only lasted twenty minutes during which nothing was visible due to the amount of silt stirred up by the landing. This “club” of sorts remains so small because this particular environment presents as much of a challenge as going to space. This is an area of the earth that exists far from the realm of man and can still be documented in a near original state. His experience is truly the first of its kind.
As someone interested in marine biology, various environments of all types, and diving, I am excited to see the footage he finds. He has potentially seen new species we can currently only imagine. Already, he has stated that he has footage of the largest amphipods, a shrimp-like species, ever seen at depth and that was only part of the way down to the trench. Once he releases his full findings, the data he has collected could launch a whole new area of study about the deep. Cameron is planning an IMAX documentary on the subject and, naturally, literature will follow as more and more minds start to dwell on these new artifacts. Additionally, his sub has made history and huge advances in technology. Going forward, we can expect more crafts of similar nature to follow suit. Cameron will soon open the world’s eyes to the deep, perhaps the king of the sublime, while gift wrapping the key to every nook of the ocean for future generations. For anyone interested in all things natural, specifically the ocean, this is very exciting.
This is a fascinating post and I will be interested in Cameron’s IMAX documentary when it is released. Do you know if he has released any footage or images yet from his expedition and are they available to look at somewhere? Would be great to post some of them if you can find them. You make a great point that in such an inhospitable environmental, humans certainly don’t have an easy dominion over the natural world, though I wonder whether it is totally beyond our influence. In a time of global climate change is any environment or landscape really beyond the human realm anymore?
You call Cameron the “king of the sublime” — a fascinating moniker. It would be worth pursuing this idea a bit more; for instance, how does he use the sublime aesthetically? Is it a recurring feature in his films or other work? And if so, is that one of the reasons his work is so popular?
Nothing significant has been released as of yet. Since he is making a theatrical release of the media he collected I think he and National Geographic are keeping it under wraps until that date gets closer. As for human development at this depth, I believe it would be almost impossible. The pressure is beyond dangerous which would be the main factor as it would take unrealistic amounts of resources to make a habitable room much less a complex down there. The ocean floor is a possibility but not this far down in the trench. There is a reason only three humans have ever been there.
Also, I have to say I was referring to the deep ocean as the king of the sublime. The most dangerous and captivating environment available. Cameron said it was 50 times the grand canyon and Herman Melville has also described it as a place every man desires. That said, it could said about Cameron as well. All his works are epic in size and gross more than any other filmmaker. I think more than anything it is his accuracy which people favor. He also hold the record for the human with the most actual visits to the wreck of the Titanic. This allowed him to create a stunningly realistic portrayal of its downfall. In Avatar, he used cutting edge special effects to create an environment like nothing anyone had seen before. He seems to always hit the nail on the head when trying to establish settings in film.