UAE resident explores ocean’s deepest point
DUBAI: Dubai resident Hamish Harding has completed his expedition to the world’s lowest point, the Challenger Deep, on Friday in the pacific ocean. Hamish’s social media post read, “CONGRATULATIONS to Captain Hamish Harding (@actionaviationchairman ) on completing his expedition to the world’s lowest point, the #CHALLENGERDEEP and becoming the first human to traverse the entire Challenger Deep. We couldn’t be more excited to hear your thoughts about the journey, Captain!”
Late in the evening, Hamish’s son shared another post that read, “Night recovery of the submersible #Limitingfactor after a long distance and duration dive, exploring and traversing the #Challengerdeep , #Marianatrench ‘s deepest point.”
Hardingisjoinedbythefamousdeep-seaexplorer Victor Vescovo, on a journey that aims to explore new marine species at a depth of 11 km below sea level, equivalent to about 13 times the height of Burj Khalifa, in addition to searching for evidence of whether human pollution has reached this spot.
Harding, Chairman of Action Aviation said: “The Challenger Deep is a very harsh environment and is waiting to be explored and studied on a larger level.
“I have always been inspired by the spirit of adventure and exploration in the Emirates, as this country gives you a feeling that anything is possible, and I am proud to represent the country as the first person from the Middle East, to sink to the lowest point on Earth. ”
“As an adventurer and an exploration lover, I want this campaign to contribute to enriching our shared knowledge and understanding of planet Earth,” he added.
While diving, we will try to use a robotic arm to collect samples from the ocean floor, in the hope that some of them contain new life forms that may provide important information about the beginning of life on our planet. While looking for signs of human pollution in this remote environment, we hope to help scientific efforts to protect our oceans and ensure their prosperity for thousands of years to come. ”
The expedition is carried out aboard the Triton deepsubmarine,speciallydesignedforthisexpedition, and is boarded by Harding, accompanied by Victor.
The submarine was designed for two people to withstand a pressure of 100,000 tonnes in the depths of the ocean, equivalent to 50 jumbo jets, which is 1,200 times higher than the standard air pressure at sea level.
Harding and Victor set out to cross the ocean floor by 25-30 km, they will use the submarine’s robotic arm to collect samples that scientists analyse on board the DSSV Pressure Drop boat and teams at the University of Newcastle and the British Geological Survey.