OPINION: Challenger Deep

I still remember my first deep sea diving experience. I was younger then and more daring but I can easily recall the thrill of the descent, the eerie landscape on the ocean floor and the exhilaration of surfacing after being miles down in the abyss.

It was a tremendous voyage down to the wreck of the Titanic and as I watched the drama unfold at the IMAX in Winnipeg I wished I had the guts to do something like that myself.  And the money of course.

However, one of our fellow Canadians, born in Kapuskasing, Ont. of all places, has both the nerve and the available funds to do things like that and much more. 

Billionaire adventurer and explorer James Cameron, famous for his movies Titanic and The Abyss, will soon embark on his next voyage to the bottom of the sea to a spot known as Challenger Deep.

At almost seven miles down this is the deepest hole in the ocean, located in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific.   
In 1960 two men in a U.S. navy submersible made it to the bottom but they stirred up a thick cloud of silt and left after just 20 minutes with no pictures or samples. No one has ever been back. We still don’t know what’s down there.

Mr. Cameron’s mission will likely be more successful. He spent the last eight years and many millions of dollars building a one-man sub that he will pilot into the history books. 

The Deepsea Challenger is a marvel of modern engineering and is built primarily of a structural syntactic foam, which is made from a froth of glass beads in epoxy resin.

As with any sub, the going down part is relatively easy. This one weighs 12 tons so it should sink to the bottom with no trouble. I wouldn’t worry about that. The coming up part is what concerns me the most. If the vessel fails to surface Mr. Cameron’s fate will be sealed inside a four foot ball of steel seven miles down. 

The sphere is six inches thick and the pilot can breathe for up to 56 hours. Both of those facts are unsettling to me. I think I’m a little claustrophobic.

In spite of its hefty price tag the Deepsea Challenger has no first class seating. At 6’2” tall the pilot will have to squeeze his frame inside a sphere 43 inches in diameter.

He will be bolted inside and will share that tiny space with all his electronics, camera ¬equip¬ment, supplies and whatever else can be tucked into that high-tech sardine can. 

The only luxury on this submersible is cruise control. Courageous Captain Cameron will need it during his six hours on the bottom to navigate the vessel along the trench taking photographs, footage and samples as he travels. 

There will be many fascinating things to see and discover.  This record setting voyage will be a scientific mission as well.

This adventure began as a race to the bottom between Cameron and British adventurer Richard -Bran¬son, who has also constructed a submarine capable of exploring the Mariana Trench.

His work continues even though Cameron will likely be first to the bottom.

There are also two additional teams working on commercial applications. Deep sea tourism is on the horizon.

I’m really starting to like all those rich guys who aren’t afraid to spend their fortunes on neat stuff.  I am quite content to get my thrills second-hand by watching those high-end adventurers like James Cameron and Richard Branson. 

I also admire and respect those less adventurous philanthropists like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Keep up the good work boys.
But even if I had a billion dollars I would likely still be the same dull guy I’ve always been. You’ll never catch me at Challenger Deep or out in deep space or even in the deep end of the pool for that matter. But I can dream.

And here’s what I’m prepared to do in the name of adventure and courage. When James Cameron releases the documentary about his adventure in the Mariana Trench I will travel to Winnipeg or Sudbury or even downtown Toronto – whatever it takes - to find a comfortable seat in a large theatre where I can share in the experience in glorious 3D. 

This guy from Kapuskasing has earned my respect and support. 

I wish him a safe passage down to Challenger Deep and back up again.