US Explorer Writes History, Reaches Deepest Point in Atlantic Ocean

By: Yassmine ElSayed

CAIRO, Dec. 25 (SEE) - American explorer Victor Vescovo wrote history when he became the first human to pe on a solo mission and reach the deepest point of the Atlantic Ocean.

In a historic submersible pe that took him 27,480 feet down into the Puerto Rico Trench,Vescovo, known to have summited the highest mountains on the world’s seven continents and skied to the North and South Poles, started a mission to reach the bottom of all the Earth’s oceans, what he titled the ‘Five Deeps Expedition’.

According to press release from the expedition, Vescovo accomplished the first pe days ago in a specially made $32.5 million titanium Triton 36000 submarine called the Limiting Factor, which is capable of withstanding the intense pressure more than 5 miles below the surface. The pressure at that depth is said to be 800 times what it is at sea level.

It took 2 1/2 hours for Limiting Factor to reach the bottom.

“It was an extraordinary pe, and I am so proud of our international team for making it possible over the last few years,” Vescovo said afterward. “It felt great to get to the true bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in history and to prove the technical capabilities of this ping system, which we believe is now the deepest operational one in the world.

“We are really looking forward to continuing to the other pe sites, and continuing our technical and scientific goals.”

The next pe is scheduled for February 2019 in the South Sandwich Trench, the deepest point in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica at 19,685 feet.

The remaining pes are the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean (23,917 feet), the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean (35,843 feet) and the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean (18,284 feet). The expedition is being filmed for Discovery Channel.

The Puerto Rico Trench “was previously explored to approximately 8,300 meters (27,230 feet) by the French submersible Archimede in 1964, but it did not reach the deepest point,” the expedition pointed out.

But next up is the remote South Sandwich Trench, the deepest point in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.