Science
Deep-Sea Dare: Former Astronaut Shares Terrifying Encounter With Massive Fish Eye
For Victor Vescovo, exploring one of the ocean’s deepest regions was a dream come true, but for others, it would sound like a nightmare.
As part of his ‘Five Deeps Expedition,’ he hoped to plunge into the abyss in the Atlantic, Southern, Indian, Pacific, and Arctic oceans by the end of 2019.
The 59-year-old retired naval commander and submarine explorer accomplished the amazing accomplishment a month ahead of plan.
Vescovo spent more than four years working with Triton Submarines to construct the DSV Limiting Factor, a submersible that took him far below the surface.
Given that it must endure incredible pressure at extreme depths, which can be 1,000 times greater than at sea level, the deep-sea vessel cannot simply be cobbled together.
The crew had to make sure the sub could function in complete darkness and near freezing temperatures in addition to avoiding the possibility of it imploding.
Vescovo left with his team aboard a cutting-edge research ship called Pressure Drop, equipped with the newest technology to monitor him during the expeditions.
The explorer made the deepest dive of his five dives aboard the DSV Limiting Factor, which were all recorded in his Expedition Deep Ocean series, when he ventured to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
On his fourth journey in early 2019, Vescovo descended to the deepest point on Earth, a startling 35,843 feet below the surface.
“I’d done a lot of dives by that point, but with the Mariana Trench, you know it’s going deeper than ever before,” the thrill seeker previously told Guinness World Records.
“In the back of your mind, you’re thinking ‘I’m pretty sure everything’s going to work perfectly and I’m going to come back safely’ but you don’t know until you do it.”
He spent about three and a half hours on the descent alone, and then four more hours using his submersible to explore the trench’s bottom.
Vescovo discovered a variety of unusual marine life, such as grenadier fish, phantom snailfish, cusk eels with transparent heads, and arrowtooth eels.
He saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers on the seafloor, which were signs of human activity even though the area was absurdly remote from dry ground.
“It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did,” Vescovo told the BBC after the excursion.
“This submarine and its mother ship, along with its extraordinarily talented expedition team, took marine technology to a ridiculously higher new level by diving – rapidly and repeatedly – into the deepest, harshest, area of the ocean.”
After seeing the video of Vescovo’s daring dive into the Mariana Trench, however, viewers were more shocked by the explorer’s remarks upon his return than by what he seen below.
The private equity investor was actually quite modest about people recognising his accomplishment, even though many others in his position wouldn’t be.
For example, when he reached the bottom in the DSV Limiting Factor, his team burst into applause while telling Vescovo, “Congratulations, Victor, congratulations.”
Humbly, he responded, “Well done. Beginning exploration of the bottom.”
Vescovo’s gratitude to his crew didn’t end there, either. He continued to direct the praise he was getting towards his teammates after he surfaced from the depths some 12 hours after starting his dive.
On board the research vessel, he was greeted by the late US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh, who, with Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, became the first person to dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960.
After Vescovo’s victory, the two embraced and Walsh congratulated him, saying, “You did it, buddy!”
He then responded, “We all did it. We all did it. Captain Walsh, thanks for showing the way.”
People were amazed by Vescovo’s remarkable achievement as part of the Five Deeps Expedition and were quite affected by the beautiful interchange.
One said, “‘We all did it’. What a humble man.”
Another added, “This guy is so professional. I love watching his interviews. No boastful brags. No outlandish comments. Very professional attitude towards his (amazing) work.”
A third wrote, “What an amazing guy! He gives credit to his crew too. It’s what you want to see in humanity.”
According to reader comments, it turns out that being a kind guy makes you much more popular than spearheading ground-breaking scientific research.
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