Virgin Oceanic's next step
- By Jack Preston -
- Mar 27, 2012
Yesterday’s news that James Cameron successfully became the first person to ever complete a solo dive to the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench – the deepest point on earth – marked a watershed moment in ocean exploration.
The stunning achievement has rightly been celebrated across the world, as the Hollywood film director and keen explorer, put down a blueprint for future underwater adventures. The news was of particular importance to Virgin Oceanic, who themselves have bold plans to explore the bottom of the ocean.
“Laying seven miles beneath the western Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench is one of the least accessible places on earth. Jim deserves all the hearty congratulations that come his way in the next few days. His solo trip of over two hours to the ocean floor in his Deepsea Challenger is a mighty achievement, explained Virgin Oceanic co-founder Richard Branson.
"His success has only added to the excitement surrounding our upcoming Virgin Oceanic voyage to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean later in the year. The Puerto Rico Trench is the deepest place in the Atlantic and is deeper than Mount Everest is high, and with it not being previously explored it should prove to be quite an adventure. Tests have been going well for Oceanic, with all signs pointing towards a ground breaking few years of ocean exploring."
Meanwhile fellow co-founder and pilot Chris Welsh also had some positive words on the efforts of both parties: "Virgin Oceanic has had a very positive relationship with Jim’s effort. We shared the development of sonar for use in deep sea navigation. I was aboard with Jim’s team last week in Guam, and we both hope there will be a chance to dive the two subs together in the near future. We can achieve more through collaboration that just the sum of our efforts.”
To find out more visit Virgin Oceanic.
By Jack Preston. Content Executive. Tweets at @JackPressedOn
