James Cameron’s deep-sea dive begins

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Director James Cameron emerges from the hatch of Deepsea Challenger. AP photo

An expedition by “Avatar” filmmaker James Cameron to dive to the earth’s deepest known point has begun following delays caused by bad weather.

The BBC reported that Cameron and his team had set off for the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench and were “waiting for calm weather to begin the dive.” TG Daily, a newssite focusing on the technology industry, echoed the BBC report, saying Cameron was “on the point of attempting” the dive.

Cameron helped design the Deepsea Challenger, a submersible vessel that will attempt to reach “Challenger Deep,” a spot in the Mariana Trench that is almost 11 kilometers below the ocean’s surface.

Cameron plans on making a solo descent in the craft. The site said Cameron previously made the deepest solo dive in history in the craft, going 8.16 kilometers deep in a “dress rehearsal” for the Challenger Deep dive.

For the Deepsea Challenge expedition, Cameron plans to spend six hours at the bottom of the trench, collecting samples “for research in marine biology, microbiology, astrobiology, marine geology and geophysics.” “The deep trenches are the last unexplored frontier on our planet, with scientific riches enough to fill a hundred years of exploration,” Cameron said.

He said he aimed to inspire people across the globe to celebrate exploration and to explore with us online and through the media.