Newsroom
Official Press Releases from Caladan Oceanic
2022 Expeditions
Victor Vescovo and Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa complete the first ever crewed decent of the Atacama Trench, Chile
Victor Vescovo and Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa complete the first ever crewed decent of the Atacama Trench, Chile
Dallas, TX (January 24th, 2022) – Explorer Victor Vescovo, Founder of Caladan Oceanic, along with Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa, Director of the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografia (IMO), have completed the first ever crewed dive to the deepest point of the Atacama Trench (Peru – Chile), the deepest trench in the South-Eastern Pacific. The maximum depth recorded at the Atacama Trench’s lowest point was 8,069 meters, +/-8 meters*
This was the first dive in the Chilean leg of the Ring of Fire Part 2 (2022) expedition, a fully permitted science expedition supported by Dr. Ulloa and the IMO to undertake extensive bathymetric mapping of the seafloor in the exploration area and collect samples at various depths of the trench.
2021 Expeditions
Victor Vescovo dives the Kermadec Trench, successfully completing dives to all four of the South Pacific’s deepest trenches for the first time, and the first person to dive all four of the world’s 10,000-meter trenches
DALLAS, TX (December 14, 2021) – Caladan Oceanic, led by explorer Victor Vescovo, along with expedition partners EYOS Expeditions, Triton Submarines, and Greenroom Robotics, successfully dived to the deepest point of the Kermadec Trench in the South Pacific Ocean on December 11th at a preliminary, calculated depth of 10,003 meters (+/- 4 meters). It is the fourth-deepest ocean trench in the world and this was the first time a human had ever dived to its deepest point. The completion of this dive sets a new world record for Vescovo, having now completed dives to all four1 of the world’s 10,000-meter trenches – the Mariana, Tonga, Philippine and Kermadec trenches.
The Kermadec Trench was the final dive in the South Pacific leg of the Ring of Fire 2021 diving expedition, which has also included the first ever human descents to the bottom of the San Cristóbal (8,483 meters), Santa Cruz (9,142 meters) and New Hebrides (7,794 meters) trenches. All dives were exploratory, mapping, and hardware-testing in nature and did not retrieve any water, soil, or life samples in accordance with local rules. No marine science personnel were aboard the vessel at any time.
2021 Expeditions
Submersible crew completes the world’s deepest shipwreck dive in history (USS Johnston)
Offshore Samar Island, Philippines Sea (March 31, 2021) – An expedition privately funded and executed by two former US Navy Officers has successfully re-located, surveyed, and filmed the USS Johnston, the world’s deepest known shipwreck that principally lies at a depth of 21,180ft (6,456m). The funder of the expedition, Victor Vescovo, is a former US Navy Commander (Ret.) who personally piloted his submersible DSV Limiting Factor down to the wreck during two separate, eight-hour dives. These constituted the deepest wreck dives, manned or unmanned, in history.
The USS Johnston (DD-557) was a US Navy Fletcher-class destroyer that sank in battle on 25th October 1944. The Johnston measured 376 ft (115m) long with a beam of 39ft. The ship was sunk during an intense battle against vastly superior Japanese forces off the coast of Samar Island during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, widely cited as the largest naval battle in history. “In no engagement in its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in the two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar,” wrote Rear Admiral Samuel E. Morison in his History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Upon the commissioning of the ship, the destroyer’s 3⁄4 Native American Captain from Oklahoma, Commander Ernest Evans, told his crew that he would “never run from a fight,” and that “anyone who did not want to go in harm’s way, had better get off now.” None of his crew did so.
2021 Expeditions
Victor Vescovo and Passengers Accomplish Additional Dives to Challenger Deep
he most recent series of dives marks 12 visits and 35 cumulative hours at the bottom of the ocean for the explorer
DALLAS (March 19, 2021) – In a historic series of dives this month, explorer Victor Vescovo escorted four passengers to the bottom of the Mariana Trench at Challenger Deep. Over the course of 11 days, Vescovo and his guests visited all three pools of Challenger Deep in Triton Submarines’ deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor, uncovering new knowledge, collecting samples, setting records and expanding the capabilities of mankind even further.
“It is really exciting to be able to bring others down with me to the deepest point on Earth and share this unique experience with them,” said Victor Vescovo. “Our ability to safely visit the most remote point on our planet regularly pulls the curtain away from the ocean deeps for mankind. It enables us to discover more about this planet that still has so much to teach us.”
2021 Expeditions
Explorer Team Completes First-Ever Full Ascent of Mauna Kea
Explorer Team Completes First-Ever Full Ascent of Mauna Kea
Victor Vescovo and Dr. Clifford Kapono achieve the greatest earthbound vertical ascent in history
DALLAS (February 23, 2021) – For the first time ever, Mauna Kea has been ascended from bottom to top. Explorer Victor Vescovo and renowned native Hawaiian marine biologist Dr. Clifford Kapono reached the summit of Mauna Kea, starting at the underwater base of the mountain, and in one continuous effort, ascending to the summit using only natural buoyancy and human power. In all, the team completed 9,323 meters, or 30,587 feet, of vertical ascent.
“To be able to scale Mauna Kea from its submarine base to its earth-and-sky summit was one of the most rewarding and physically demanding adventures I’ve set out on,” said Victor Vescovo, who has climbed Mount Everest and achieved the Explorers Grand Slam. “It’s fascinating to see the shifting terrain and ecosystems on a singular peak and was a really unique experience.”
Related Images
2020 Expeditions
Caladan Oceanic Sets New Mapping Record, Completes 2020 Expedition Series
Caladan Oceanic Sets New Mapping Record, Completes 2020 Expedition Series
Victor Vescovo and crew of DSSV Pressure Drop map over 1 million km2 of deep ocean and complete other groundbreaking research in the Northern Mariana Trench Arc
DALLAS (September 2, 2020) – Caladan Oceanic, led by explorer Victor Vescovo, and partners EYOS Expeditions, Triton Submarines and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) completed the final phase of their 2020 expedition series. They completed the detailed mapping of over 1 million km2 of deep ocean since December 2019 – a significant new record and pace in deep ocean mapping. They have also examined the bathymetry and living organisms in some of the most remote locations in the Northern Mariana and “Ring of Fire” Arc. See here for a map of the course taken since the beginning of the 2020 expeditions.
Related Images
2020 Expeditions – Ring of Fire Phases 1 & 2
Caladan Oceanic Revisits Challenger Deep in Month-Long Dive Series
Bringing the first woman to Challenger Deep and the son of its first explorer back to his father’s dive site, Victor Vescovo’s Limiting Factor makes six more dives to the deepest point in the ocean
DALLAS, TX (June 30, 2020) – Caladan Oceanic, led by explorer Victor Vescovo, along with partners EYOS Expeditions, Triton Submarines, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) achieves several historical accomplishments in the Challenger Deep, the deepest location in the Mariana Trench, and the world. Dive Series 1 and 2 of Caladan Oceanic’s 2020 “Ring of Fire” expedition yielded several notable firsts and marks 10 total dives into the Challenger Deep for Triton 36,000/2 submersible (DSV Limiting Factor).
Related Images
2020 Expeditions – Ring of Fire
Pacific Ocean – Challenger Deep
Pacific Ocean – Challenger Deep
First Taiwanese Native Dives to Challenger Deep – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Scientist Dr. Y.-T. Lin, a Taiwanese-American citizen, joined explorer Victor Vescovo in a visit to the deepest place on Earth
DALLAS (June 23, 2020) – In another world first, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) research scientist, Dr. Ying-Tsong “Y.-T.” Lin, joined explorer Victor Vescovo and EYOS Expeditions in Triton Submarines’ Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor in a deep dive to the bottom of Challenger Deep’s central pool (10,915 meters +/- 4 meters) making him not only the first person born in Taiwan to go to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but also the first from the Asian continent to do so. Five sensors attached to the lander Skaff, and the DSV Limiting Factor confirmed the depth.
2020 Expeditions – Ring of Fire
Pacific Ocean – Challenger Deep
Pacific Ocean – Challenger Deep
EYOS Expeditions: From father to son; the next generation of ocean exploration. Kelly Walsh repeats father’s historic dive, 60 years later, on Father’s Day weekend
June 20th, 2020 – Kelly Walsh, 52, today completed a historic dive to approximately 10,925m in the Challenger Deep. The dive location was the Western Pool, the same area that was visited by Kelly’s father, Captain Don Walsh, USN (Ret), PhD, who was the pilot of the bathyscaph ‘Trieste’ during the first dive to the Challenger Deep in 1960. Mr. Walsh’s 12- hour dive, coordinated by EYOS Expeditions, was undertaken aboard the deep-sea vehicle Triton 36000/2 ‘Limiting Factor” piloted by the owner of the vehicle Victor Vescovo, a Dallas, Texas based businessman and explorer.
2020 Expeditions – Phase IV
Indian Ocean – First Mapping of Key Deep-Sea Features in Indian Ocean
Victor Vescovo and team map an area the size of Rhode Island and document previously undocumented seamount near Seychelles
DALLAS (April 09, 2020) – After making the first manned dive to the deepest point in the Red Sea, investor and explorer Victor Vescovo’s Caladan Oceanic team conducted the first-ever mapping of the Amirante Trench near Seychelles. The Amirante Trench is approximately 610 km long and 30 km wide. The oceanography of the trench has been highly debated among geologists and geophysicists since the late 1970s. While early theories suggested the trench formed through traditional subduction methods, more modern assessments argue that the evolution of the Amirante Trench is more complicated and tied to the separation of India and the Seychelles.
2020 Expeditions – Phase III
Red Sea – First manned dive to the Suakin Trough
Caladan Oceanic’s Victor Vescovo and Saudi national Mohammed A. Aljahdli make the first- ever manned dive to the bottom of the Suakin Trough
Dallas, TX (March 4, 2020) – After successfully diving to the deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea, the Calypso Deep in mid-February, Victor Vescovo and the Caladan Oceanic crew sailed through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea. In cooperation with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, Caladan made multiple manned dives into the little-explored Red Sea and—for the first time—to its deepest point: the Suakin Trough. The team also dove the shallower, but scientifically important Kebrit Deep (Arabic for “sulfur”), 250 miles to the north.
2020 Expeditions – Phase II
Calypso Deep – deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea
Caladan Oceanic’s Victor Vescovo and EYOS Expeditions dive with Prince Albert II of Monaco to the deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea.
DALLAS, TX (February 12, 2020) – The second phase (of five) of Caladan Oceanic’s 2020 deep-diving expeditions has now been completed after sub pilot and explorer, Victor Vescovo and His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco ventured down to the bottom of the Calypso Deep, the deepest point in the Mediterranean sea, on February 10. In conjunction with EYOS Expeditions and Triton Submarines.
2020 Expeditions – Phase I
La Minerve – Lost Submarine investigated and honored
Mediterranean Sea. February 2020.
Caladan Oceanic, EYOS Expeditions and Triton Submarines have completed a highly successful expedition to the wreck of the French submarine S647 ‘La Minerve’ which sank in 1968 with all hands. The expedition’s purpose was to complete a forensic investigation of the wreck and to place a commemorative plaque on behalf of the families of the 52 crew who were lost at sea. [via eyosexpeditions.com]
2020 Expeditions – Launch
Caladan Oceanic
2020 Expedition Plan
Dallas, Texas.
Caladan Oceanic 2020 Expeditions Itinerary
DALLAS, TX (February 4, 2020) – Through collaboration between investor and explorer Victor Vescovo, Triton Submarines and EYOS Expeditions, the 2020 Caladan Oceanic expeditions will yet again visit never before seen ocean depths and famed historic sites. A first of its kind two-person research submersible, designed and manufactured by Triton specifically for extreme deep-sea exploration endeavors, will bring its stories of the voyage to the world in near-real time between February and July of 2020.
2019 Archived Releases
Deep Dive 5
Arctic Ocean
Molloy Deep. August 2019
VICTOR VESCOVO AND TEAM COMPLETE THE FINAL MISSION OF THE EXPEDITION IN WORLD’S DEEPEST DIVING OPERATIONAL SUBMERSIBLE, THE LIMITING FACTOR
New York – (September 9th, 2019) Explorer Victor Vescovo has become the first human to dive to the bottom of the deepest point of all five of the world’s oceans. On August 24th, with external sea temperatures dropping to -2 °C, Victor dived to a depth of 5,550 +/- 14 metres in the Molloy Deep, the deepest point in the Arctic Ocean
Additional Dives
Tonga Trench
Horizon Deep. June 2019.
CONFIRMED: Horizon Deep Second Deepest Point on the Planet
DALLAS, TX (June 10, 2019) – The Five Deeps Expedition team makes history again as explorer Victor Vescovo became the first human to dive on a solo mission to the bottom of the deepest point in the Southern Hemisphere – the Tonga Trench’s Horizon Deep. Now measured at 10,823 meters (+/- 10 meters) or 35,509 feet (+/-33 feet) the expedition definitively confirmed that the Horizon Deep is shallower than the Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep.
Deep Dive 4
Pacific Ocean
Mariana Trench/Challenger Deep. April – May 2019.
Deepest Submarine Dive in History, Five Deeps Expedition Conquers Challenger Deep
DALLAS, TX (May 13, 2019) – For the fourth time, the Five Deeps Expedition has successfully dived to the bottom of one of the world’s five oceans. The team completed a mission to reach what is commonly known as the deepest point on planet Earth: Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench.
Deep Dive 3
Indian Ocean
Diamantina Fracture Zone & Java Trench. March – April 2019.
Deep sea pioneer makes history again as first human to dive to the deepest point in the Indian Ocean, the Java Trench.
DALLAS, TX (April 16, 2019) – For the third time, the Five Deeps Expedition has successfully dived to the previously-unvisited bottom of one of the world’s five oceans. The team completed a mission to reach one of the most isolated points on the planet: the deepest point of the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean.
Deep Dive 2
Southern Ocean
South Sandwich Trench. January – February 2019.
Explorer makes history as first human to successfully dive to the deepest point in the Southern Ocean, in the South Sandwich Trench.
DALLAS, TX (February 4, 2019) – The Five Deeps Expedition crosses another historic dive off its list when explorer Victor Vescovo became the first human to dive to the deepest point in the Southern Ocean – in the southern portion of the South Sandwich Trench – at 7,433.6 meters/24,388 feet in his private submersible, the Limiting Factor.
Five Deeps Expedition embarks for its second dive to reach the deepest point in the Southern Ocean.
DALLAS, TX (January 28, 2019) – For the second time, The Five Deeps Expedition has set sail on a mission to reach one of the most remote points on the planet: the deepest point of the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean.
Deep Dive 1
Atlantic Ocean
Puerto Rico Trench. December 2018.
First Human Reaches the Deepest Point in the Atlantic Ocean in Unprecedented Solo Submersible Dive.
DALLAS, TX (December 21, 2018) – In a historic feat, explorer Victor Vescovo became the first human to dive on a solo mission to the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean – the verified bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench at 8,376 meters/27,480 feet in his private submersible, the Limiting Factor.
Trials & Testing Period
Bahamas
Mid-Late 2018
Unprecedented Expedition to Explore Deepest Points in Each of the World’s Five Oceans Embarks from New York City
NEW YORK CITY (Oct. 19, 2018) – After three years of intensive efforts from some of the world’s leading oceanographers, submarine engineers, and scientists, the Five Deeps Expedition – the first global ocean journey to send a manned submersible vessel farther and deeper than any in history – launches today.
General Press Releases
The Five Deeps Expedition and The Nippon Foundation – GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project
Monaco (11 March 2019) – A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed today between The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project and the Five Deeps Expedition, laying the groundwork for previously unexplored areas of the seafloor to be mapped and the resulting data made available for public use.
