Deepest underwater video footage

Footage from the deepest reaches of the Earth’s ocean was gathered in March 2012 – by Canadian film director James Cameron, when he made the first solo exploration of the Challenger Deep valley in the floor of the Mariana Trench, in the Western Pacific. Cameron piloted a 12-tonne submersible, called Deepsea Challenger, down to the bottom of Challenger Deep – the deepest point of the ocean, at a depth of 10,843 metres, nearly seven miles beneath the surface. At this depth, the weight of the water above exerted a pressure of 8 tonnes per square inch on the submersible’s hull. Following a descent lasting 2 hours and 36 minutes, Cameron spent three hours exploring and filming Challenger Deep before returning to the surface in an ascent which took just 70 minutes.