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New Frontiers: James Cameron’s Contribution to Deep Sea Exploration

New Frontiers: James Cameron’s Contribution to Deep Sea Exploration

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on November 17, 2014
Deepsea Challenger

Critically-acclaimed director James Cameron is best-known for his role in the creation of box-office hits such as Titanic and Avatar, not to mention his deep sea cult classic The Abyss. What a lot of people don’t know about Cameron is that he has a big interest in and a passion for deep sea exploration. In fact, Cameron has gone on many underwater sea voyages, including a solo deep sea exploration he did on March 26, 2012 wherein he dove down to the deepest part of the ocean: a point more than 35,000 feet below sea level in the Mariana Trench known as the Challenger Deep.

True to his “go big or go home” projects, Cameron’s dive into the abyss broke records; most notably, he became the first person to go to the deepest point in the ocean alone. The 24-foot submersible he used for his deep sea exploration, dubbed the Deepsea Challenger, was co-designed by him, complete with cameras and video recorders that took footage of his surroundings in the deep ocean and a mechanical appendage that took samples of the ocean floor. The footage, along with mineral samples, flora, and even marine life collected by Cameron’s submersible are all considered valuable scientific knowledge. Scientists hope to discover more information about earthquakes, tsunamis, and life in general from studying the samples obtained in Cameron’s deep sea exploration.

In addition to the 2012 expedition, Cameron has been involved in many deep sea dives by way of submersible watercrafts — more than 70, at last count. A fun trivial fact is that a few dozen of Cameron’s submersible dives were to the wreckage of the Titanic. After his work on the Titanic, James Cameron’s passion for ocean conservation and deep sea exploration really took hold. He formed Earthship Productions so that he could be involved in producing documentaries to promote ocean conservancy, highlighting its importance with actual footage of his submersible dives into the deep oceans of the earth.

Currently, Cameron is said to be working on an environmentally-themed series for television regarding the earth’s oceans. This past summer of 2014, the documentary of Cameron’s dive to the deepest point in the ocean, titled Deep Sea Challenge, was released in theaters in 3D. Check out the trailer for the film here, and don’t miss your chance to see it when you can!

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro