The deepest dive in the Mariana Trench. Dive deep
When it became possible to dive to the depths, there was also a desire to become the best in this business. There is a constant struggle for records, despite the negative impact that depth has on a person. For example, water pressure causes pain in the ears and there is a risk that the eardrum will burst.
Although professional divers cope lightly with this problem. The main thing is to equalize the pressure with the help of swallowing movements. In addition, with each meter of depth, the water pressure increases, and the volume of air in the lungs decreases.
Because of this, swimmers often misjudge oxygen reserves, which can play tricks on the diver later on. Yes, and the rise from the depths has its own specifics and difficulties. But, despite this, the battle for records continues.
Maximum human immersion depth
The first dive to a depth of one hundred meters was not even entered into sports records. But the names of the divers who did this are known to all divers. They are Enzo Mallorca and Jacques Mayol. By the way, it was they who became the prototypes of the main characters of the famous film by Luc Besson "The Blue Abyss".
The mark of 100 meters has long ceased to be a record. In was made by the Austrian swimmer Herbert Nietzsch. His record in 2001 was 214 meters. By the way, Nietzsche is called a freediving legend.
Throughout his life in this type of diving, he set world records 31 times. Among women, the American Tanya Streeter became the record holder. In 2002, she sank to a depth of 160m.
The world record belongs to the French diver Pascal Bernabe, who, by the way, Everyday life teacher of elementary grades.
In July 2005, he dived to a depth of 330 meters in less than 10 minutes (although he originally planned to conquer a distance of 320 meters, but the rope stretched and he overcame an extra 10 meters). But the ascent lasted 9 . The diver has been preparing for this result for 3 years.
Although, perhaps, this is not the maximum depth of human immersion. After all, many results are not recorded and are not officially announced. For example, hardly anyone will tell the press about the actions of military scuba divers or the capabilities of their special equipment.
In general, the depth will always beckon a person, the main thing is not to lose your head from its charms and not forget about safety. It is also important to be able to stay under water for a long time.
There is a place on Earth about which we know much less than about deep space - mysterious ocean floor. It's believed that world science I haven't really even started studying it yet.
On March 26, 2012, 50 years after the first dive, a man again sank to the bottom of the deepest trench on Earth: the Deepsea Challenge bathyscaphe with Canadian director James Cameron sank to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Cameron became the third person to reach the deepest point in the ocean and the first to do it alone.
Mariana Trench- the deepest trench on earth in the western Pacific Ocean. It stretches along the Mariana Islands for 2,500 km. The deepest point of the Mariana Trench is called "Challenger Abyss". According to latest research 2011, its depth is 10,994 meters (±40 m) below sea level. By the way, the highest peak in the world - Everest rises to a height of "only" 8,848 meters.
At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the water pressure reaches 1,072 atmospheres, i.e. 1072 times the normal atmospheric pressure. (Infographics ria.ru):
Half a century ago. Bathyscaphe "Trieste", designed by the Swiss scientist Auguste Picard, on which a record dive into the Mariana Trench was made in 1960:
On January 23, 1960, Jacques Picard and US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh made a dive into the Mariana Trench to a depth of 10,920 meters on the Trieste bathyscaphe. The dive took about 5 hours, and the time spent at the bottom was 12 minutes. It was an absolute depth record for manned and unmanned vehicles.
Two researchers then discovered at a terrible depth only 6 species of living creatures, including flat fish up to 30 cm in size:
Let's go back to our days. This is the Deepsea Challenge Deep Sea Bathyscaphe, on which James Cameron sank to the bottom of the ocean. It was developed in an Australian laboratory, weighs 11 tons and has a length of more than 7 meters:
The dive began on March 26 at 05:15 am local time. James Cameron's last words were: "Lower, lower, lower."
When diving to the bottom of the ocean, the bathyscaphe turns over and falls vertically down:
This is a real vertical torpedo that glides through a huge column of water at high speed:
The compartment in which Cameron was during the dive is a metal sphere with a diameter of 109 cm with thick walls that can withstand pressures of more than 1,000 atmospheres:
In the photo, to the left of the director, you can see a hatch covering the sphere:
HD video. Dive:
James Cameron spent more than 3 hours at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, during which he took photos and videos of the underwater world. The result of this underwater journey will be a joint film with National Geographic. The photo shows manipulators with cameras:
At a depth of 11 kilometers:
3D camera:
However, the underwater expedition was not entirely successful. Due to malfunction metal "hands", controlled by hydraulics, James Cameron was unable to take samples from the ocean floor that scientists need to study geology:
Many were tormented by the question of animals that live at such a monstrous depth. “Probably everyone would like to hear that I saw some kind of sea monster, but it was not there ... There was nothing alive, more than 2-2.5 cm.”
A few hours after the dive, the Deepsea Challenge bathyscaphe with the 57-year-old director successfully returned from the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
The rise of the bathyscaphe:
James Cameron - the first person in the world to make a solo dive into the abyss- to the bottom of Mariana. In the coming weeks, it will sink to a depth of 4 more times.
:: Bathyscaphe
Bathyscaphe is a small underwater vessel designed to dive to extreme depths. Main difference underwater bathyscaphe from a submarine lies in its design: the bathyscaphe is equipped with a lighter spherical hull and a float, the walls of which are filled with liquid, the mass of which less water usually gasoline. The course of the underwater bathyscaphe is carried out due to the rotation of mushroom propellers driven by electric motors.
The history of the bathyscaphe
For the first time, the idea to build an underwater bathyscaphe came from the Swiss scientist Auguste Picard before the Second World War. He was the first to propose replacing cylinders with compressed oxygen with a float with a liquid whose mass is less than the mass of water. Picard's engineering idea was a success, and already in 1948, the first prototype of the bathyscaphe was launched.
The creation of an apparatus of this class was influenced by the need to study the bottom of the seas and oceans at great depths. Classical submarines are only capable of descending to a certain limited depth. Remarkably, the designers are able to build a hull strong enough, even for a large submarine, that could withstand pressure at extreme depths. However, it is still impossible to solve another problem that prevents submarines from sinking to a considerable depth.
To float to the surface of the water, traditional submarines use compressed oxygen to force water out of the compartments. However, during a dive of more than one and a half thousand meters, under the influence of the gravity of the water, the oxygen in the cylinders loses its properties, in other words, it ceases to be “compressed”.
There are submarines capable of sinking to a depth of 2000 meters. Nonetheless, the depth of submersion of the bathyscaphe is much greater.
Bathyscaphe dive
A float filled with gasoline or other liquid makes it possible for an underwater bathyscaphe to stay on the surface of the water and float. After the tanks are filled with water, the process of submerging the bathyscaphe to the depth starts.
In cases where an underwater bathyscaphe hangs due to excessive water density, in order to lower the vessel to the bottom, a buoyant liquid is released from the float. After that, the process of submerging the bathyscaphe resumes.
Lowering the bathyscaphe to the bottom is not so difficult, but how to raise it back up? For this underwater bathyscaphes have special compartments filled with steel shot. When the ship needs to surface, the shot is thrown off, and the float pulls the bathyscaphe to the surface. There are also compressed oxygen tanks on board to speed up the bathyscaphe's ascent to the surface of the water.
Bathyscaphe diving depth
As mentioned above, the bathyscaphe's immersion depth is much greater than that of other underwater vehicles. Back in 1960 modified Bathyscaphe "Trieste" managed to dive to a record depth of 10919 meters. To the surprise of the ship's crew, even at such a depth they saw fish.
Another interesting fact regarding the submersion of the bathyscaphe: the first person to sink to the very bottom of the world's oceans is the well-known director James Cameron.
Our shipbuilders also have something to brag about. The underwater bathyscaphe Mir, designed by Russian engineers, sank to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. The diving depth of the bathyscaphe was 4261 m. After that, the ship and its crew spent about an hour at the bottom of the coldest and most dangerous ocean on earth.
Freediving is a special kind of scuba diving. After all, in order to be under water, a person only needs to hold his breath.
is the earliest form of diving and is still popular today both in sports and in commerce. This sport is constantly evolving.
The record for holding the breath already reaches 12 minutes, and the record for diving in depth has long exceeded 100 meters. Probably, after all, there is no limit to human capabilities.
Non-scuba dive depth record
Divers Enzo Mallorca and Jacques Mayol set the first dive record without scuba gear. They dived to a depth of 100 meters. But their result was not officially recorded in sports records.
But thanks to the film by Luc Besson "The Blue Abyss" their names will always be remembered (they became the prototypes of the main characters of the film).
In 2002, French freediver Loic Leferme set a truly amazing record. Without scuba gear, he dived to a depth of 162 meters. Before that, his own record was 137 meters. In 2004, Loic Leferme decided to set another record. He plunged to a depth of 171 meters, but could not swim out.
dive world record
It is considered the most popular type of scuba diving without scuba gear. But within the International Apnea Development Association (AIDA) there are many other disciplines in this area.
For example, static and dynamic apnea, "constant weight in fins" and so on. And in every discipline the records are amazing.
In the category " free dive» A new world record was set in 2013 at the World Championships in freediving in Greece. The record holder among women was the Russian woman Natalya Molchanova. She without scuba diving sank to a depth of 91 meters. Among men, the record was set in 2011 and has not been broken since.
Then the record holder was William Trubridge from New Zealand. He dived to a depth of 121 meters.
became Natalia Molchanova. At first, she set a record in 2009, and then in 2013 she broke it herself.
Diving to great depths is very dangerous. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for such dives not only for months, but for years. To achieve the described results is possible only through constant training. Read about diving on our website and get results. If you want to set a world record in free diving, then start preparing now.
Mariana Trench (or Mariana Trench) - the deepest place earth's surface. It is located on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, 200 kilometers east of the Mariana Archipelago.
Paradoxically, humanity knows much more about the secrets of space or mountain peaks than about the depths of the ocean. And one of the most mysterious and unexplored places on our planet is just the Mariana Trench. So what do we know about him?
Mariana Trench - the bottom of the world
In 1875, the crew of the British corvette Challenger discovered pacific ocean a place where there was no bottom. Kilometer after kilometer the rope of the lot went overboard, but there was no bottom! And only at a depth of 8184 meters the descent of the rope stopped. Thus, the deepest underwater crack on Earth was discovered. It was named the Mariana Trench, after the nearby islands. Its shape (in the form of a crescent) and the location of the deepest section, called the "Challenger Abyss", were determined. It is located 340 km south of the island of Guam and has coordinates 11°22′ N. sh., 142°35′ E d.
“The fourth pole”, “the womb of Gaia”, “the bottom of the world” has since been called this deep-water depression. Oceanographic scientists have long tried to find out its true depth. Research over the years has given different meanings. The fact is that at such a colossal depth, the density of water increases as it approaches the bottom, so the properties of the sound from the echo sounder also change in it. Using barometers and thermometers at different levels along with echo sounders, in 2011 the depth value in the Challenger Abyss was set at 10994 ± 40 meters. This is the height of Mount Everest plus another two kilometers from above.
The pressure at the bottom of the underwater crevasse is almost 1100 atmospheres, or 108.6 MPa. Most of the deep-sea vehicles are designed for a maximum depth of 6-7 thousand meters. During the time that has passed since the discovery of the deepest canyon, it was possible to successfully reach its bottom only four times.
In 1960, the Trieste deep-sea bathyscaphe, for the first time in the world, descended to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench in the area of the Challenger Abyss with two passengers on board: US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Picard.
Their observations led to an important conclusion about the presence of life at the bottom of the canyon. The discovery of the upward flow of water also had an important environmental significance: based on it, the nuclear powers refused to dispose of radioactive waste at the bottom of the Mariana sinkhole.
In the 90s, the gutter was explored by the Japanese unmanned probe Kaiko, which brought samples of silt from the bottom, in which bacteria, worms, shrimp were found, as well as pictures of a hitherto unknown world.
In 2009, the American robot Nereus conquered the abyss, raising samples of silt, minerals, samples of deep-sea fauna and photos of inhabitants of unknown depths from the bottom.
In 2012, James Cameron, the author of Titanic, Terminator and Avatar, dived into the abyss alone. He spent 6 hours at the bottom, collecting samples of soil, minerals, fauna, as well as taking photographs and 3D video. Based on this material, the film "Challenge to the Abyss" was created.
Amazing discoveries
In the trench at a depth of about 4 kilometers is the active Daikoku volcano, spewing liquid sulfur, which boils at 187 ° C in a small depression. The only lake of liquid sulfur was discovered only on Jupiter's moon Io.
At 2 kilometers from the surface, "black smokers" swirl - sources of geothermal water with hydrogen sulfide and other substances that, upon contact with cold water are converted to black sulfides. The movement of sulfide water resembles puffs of black smoke. The water temperature at the point of release reaches 450 ° C. The surrounding sea does not boil only because of the density of the water (150 times greater than at the surface).
In the north of the canyon there are "white smokers" - geysers spewing liquid carbon dioxide at a temperature of 70-80 ° C. Scientists suggest that it is in such geothermal "boilers" that one should look for the origins of life on Earth. Hot springs "warm up" the icy waters, supporting life in the abyss - the temperature at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is in the range of 1-3 ° C.
Life beyond life
It would seem that in an atmosphere of complete darkness, silence, icy cold and unbearable pressure, life in the hollow is simply unthinkable. But studies of the depression prove the opposite: there are living creatures almost 11 kilometers under water!
The bottom of the sinkhole is covered with a thick layer of mucus from organic sediments that have been descending from the upper layers of the ocean for hundreds of thousands of years. Slime is lovely nutrient medium for barrophilic bacteria, which form the basis of the nutrition of protozoa and multicellular organisms. Bacteria, in turn, become food for more complex organisms.
The ecosystem of the underwater canyon is truly unique. Living beings have managed to adapt to an aggressive, destructive environment under normal conditions, with high pressure, lack of light, a small amount of oxygen and a high concentration of toxic substances. Life in such unbearable conditions gave many inhabitants of the abyss a frightening and unattractive look.
Deep-sea fish have incredible mouths, seated with sharp long teeth. High pressure made their bodies small (from 2 to 30 cm). However, there are also large specimens, such as the xenophyophora amoeba, reaching 10 cm in diameter. The frilled shark and goblin shark, living at a depth of 2000 meters, generally reach 5-6 meters in length.
Representatives live at different depths different types living organisms. The deeper the inhabitants of the abyss, the better their organs of vision are, allowing them to catch the slightest glimmer of light on the body of their prey in complete darkness. Some individuals themselves are able to produce directional light. Other creatures are completely devoid of organs of vision, they are replaced by organs of touch and radar. With increasing depth, underwater inhabitants lose their color more and more, the bodies of many of them are almost transparent.
On the slopes where the “black smokers” live, mollusks live, having learned to neutralize the sulfides and hydrogen sulfide that are fatal to them. And, which remains a mystery to scientists so far, under conditions of enormous pressure at the bottom, they somehow miraculously manage to keep their mineral shell intact. Similar abilities are shown by other inhabitants of the Mariana Trench. The study of fauna samples showed a multiple excess of the level of radiation and toxic substances.
Unfortunately, deep sea creatures die due to the change in pressure with any attempt to bring them to the surface. Only thanks to modern deep-sea vehicles it became possible to study the inhabitants of the depression in their natural environment. Representatives of the fauna unknown to science have already been identified.
Secrets and mysteries of the "womb of Gaia"
The mysterious abyss, like any unknown phenomenon, is shrouded in a mass of secrets and mysteries. What does she hide in her depths? Japanese scientists claimed that while feeding goblin sharks, they saw a shark 25 meters long devouring goblins. A monster of this size could only be a megalodon shark, which became extinct almost 2 million years ago! Confirmation is the findings of megalodon teeth in the vicinity of the Mariana Trench, whose age dates back to only 11 thousand years. It can be assumed that specimens of these monsters are still preserved in the depths of the failure.
There are many stories about the corpses of giant monsters thrown ashore. When descending into the abyss of the German bathyscaphe "Highfish", the dive stopped 7 km from the surface. To understand the reason, the passengers of the capsule turned on the lights and were horrified: their bathyscaphe, like a nut, was trying to crack open some prehistoric lizard! Only by impulse electric current on the outer skin managed to scare away the monster.
On another occasion, when an American submersible was submerging, a scraping of metal began to be heard from under the water. The descent was stopped. When examining the lifted equipment, it turned out that the titanium alloy metal cable was half sawn (or gnawed), and the beams of the underwater vehicle were bent.
In 2012, the video camera of the unmanned vehicle "Titan" from a depth of 10 kilometers transmitted a picture of metal objects, presumably UFOs. Soon the connection with the device was interrupted.
Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence of these interesting facts not available, they are all based only on eyewitness accounts. Every story has its fans and skeptics, its pros and cons.
Before the risky dive into the trench, James Cameron said that he wanted to see with his own eyes at least some of those secrets of the Mariana Trench, about which there are so many rumors and legends. But he did not see anything that would go beyond the cognizable.
So what do we know about her?
To understand how the Mariana Underwater Gap was formed, it should be remembered that such gaps (troughs) are usually formed along the edges of the oceans under the action of moving lithospheric plates. The oceanic plates, being older and heavier, "creep" under the continental ones, forming deep dips at the junctions. The deepest is the junction of the Pacific and Philippine tectonic plates near the Mariana Islands (Marian Trench). The Pacific Plate is moving at a speed of 3-4 centimeters per year, resulting in increased volcanic activity along both of its edges.
Throughout the length of this deepest failure, four so-called bridges were found - transverse mountain ranges. The ridges were presumably formed due to the movement of the lithosphere and volcanic activity.
The gutter is V-shaped in diameter, strongly widening upwards and narrowing downwards. The average width of the canyon in the upper part is 69 kilometers, in the widest part - up to 80 kilometers. The average width of the bottom between the walls is 5 kilometers. The slope of the walls is almost sheer and is only 7-8°. The depression stretches from north to south for 2500 kilometers. The trough has an average depth of about 10,000 meters.
Only three people have been to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench to date. In 2018, another manned dive to the “bottom of the world” is planned at its deepest section. This time, the well-known Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov and polar explorer Artur Chilingarov will try to conquer the depression and find out what it hides in its depths. At present, a deep-sea bathyscaphe is being manufactured and a research program is being drawn up.