Did the expedition dive at the Java Trench – the third “Deep” – as scheduled?

Q: Did the expedition dive at the Java Trench – the third “Deep” – as scheduled?

Yes, on April 11, 2019, the DSV Limiting Factor became the first manned submersible to reach the true bottom of the Indian Ocean at a verified depth of 7,192 meters. At the bottom of the trench, the team managed to capture footage from the sub and from the landers of what are believed to be entirely new species, yet unseen by humans. From the sub, a new species of hadal snailfish was observed amongst many other bottom dwelling organisms, and the landers observed an extraordinary gelatinous animal – thought to be a bottom dwelling comb jelly – which does not resemble anything seen before. Among other things, the Five Deeps Expedition has finally settled the debate about where the deepest point in the Indian Ocean is. The Kongsberg EM124 multibeam sonar – the most advanced sonar currently mounted on a civilian vessel – provided detailed maps of the Diamantina Fracture Zone sea floor off the coast of Australia, as well as the deepest parts of the Java Trench. Together with physical visitation from unmanned landers and the DSV Limiting Factor submersible , the expedition team has built the most precise maps possible of the deepest places in the Indian Ocean . The deepest point is in the central part of the Java Trench – not the east as was widely assumed - and that’s exactly where Victor dove.

Yes, on April 11, 2019, the DSV Limiting Factor became the first manned submersible to reach the true bottom of the Indian Ocean at a verified depth of 7,192 meters. At the bottom of the trench, the team managed to capture footage from the sub and from the landers of what are believed to be entirely new species, yet unseen by humans. From the sub, a new species of hadal snailfish was observed amongst many other bottom dwelling organisms, and the landers observed an extraordinary gelatinous animal – thought to be a bottom dwelling comb jelly – which does not resemble anything seen before.

Among other things, the Five Deeps Expedition has finally settled the debate about where the deepest point in the Indian Ocean is. The Kongsberg EM124 multibeam sonar – the most advanced sonar currently mounted on a civilian vessel – provided detailed maps of the Diamantina Fracture Zone sea floor off the coast of Australia, as well as the deepest parts of the Java Trench. Together with physical visitation from unmanned landers and the DSV Limiting Factor submersible, the expedition team has built the most precise maps possible of the deepest places in the Indian Ocean. The deepest point is in the central part of the Java Trench – not the east as was widely assumed – and that’s exactly where Victor dove.