James Cameron performs deepest-ever solo sub dive, with a deeper one on the way

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James Cameron talks with the crew of the Deep Challenger (Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)

The Deep Challenger rests at the surface during tests off Papua New Guinea earlier this month (Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)

James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER sub is lowered into Australia's Sydney Harbor from the vessel Mermaid Sapphire (Photo: Brook Rushton/National Geographic)

Divers prepare to launch DEEPSEA CHALLENGER on a six-hour, 1000m-deep (3,280-foot-deep) test dive off Papua New Guinea on February 23 (Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)

James Cameron fits a casing onto the instrument package atop of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER sub, shown here lying on its side (Photo: Brook Rushton/DEEPSEA CHALLENGE)

Graphic depiction of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER illustrates the vehicle's different lighting set-ups, including LED panel (Photo: Acheron Project Pty. Ltd./National Geographic)

The U.S. Navy's much larger bathyscaphe Trieste (left) compared to DEEPSEA CHALLENGER (Photo: Acheron Project Pty. Ltd./National Geographic)

Graphic depiction of DEEPSEA CHALLENGER on a dive (Photo: Acheron Project Pty. Ltd./National Geographic)

Diving Crews perform in-water testing of DEEPSEA CHALLENGER off Papua New Guinea (Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)

Bathyscaphe Trieste suspended from a crane

The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER pilot sphere is held in position with polyester straps (Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)

Technicians prepare the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER for a dive (Photo: National Geographic)

The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER's control panel (Photo: Acheron Project Pty. Ltd./National Geographic)

Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard in Trieste

James Cameron and Trieste Trieste co-pilot Don Walsh discuss the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER (Photo: National Geographic/DEEPSEA CHALLENGE)

Illustrated sequence showing DEEPSEA CHALLENGER electromagnetically casting off the steel plates that weigh it down (Photo: Acheron Project Pty. Ltd./National Geographic)

The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER's steel pilot sphere glows red hot from the manufacturing process (Photo: DEEPSEA CHALLENGE/National Geographic)

The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER with one of its utility booms deployed (Photo: National Geographic/DEEPSEA CHALLENGE)

Location of Mariana Trench and the Challenger Deep

Article Summary

Well-known film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron is no stranger to setting records, but this time, instead of box office gross, he's setting his sights on something more akin to a single-handed lunar landing - a solo trip to the ocean's deepest point, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench off Guam. Billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is hard on Cameron's heels but it appears almost certain the genius behind the blockbusters Titanic and Avatar will be the first to get there alone - he just snagged the record for deepest solo dive off Papua New Guinea on March 6th with a depth of 26,791′ (8.2km).

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