Page 65: of Marine Technology Magazine (September 2022)

Tech Talk: Deep Divers

Marc/Adobestock

Credit Reeve Jolliffe

Explorer Victor Vescovo, Founder of Caladan Oceanic, Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist at Esri, was the mission earlier this year completed what is touted as the ? rst ever sonar specialist on the trek. Wright will release a series human descents to the deepest points of both the Yap and of maps and data from the dive on Esri’s ArcGIS Living

Palau trenches. The maximum depth recorded at the low- Atlas of the World, the foremost collection of geographic est point reached in the Yap Trench was 8,929 meters +/- 9 information – including maps, applications, and data lay- meters and in the Palau trench, 8,027 meters +/- 9 meters. ers – from around the world.

Victor Vescovo was joined by Master Navigator Sesario The lander deployments on these approved scienti? c dive

Sewralur of Micronesia for the Yap Trench dive and then expeditions collected samples for analysis by science ex-

Former President of Palau, Thomas Rememngesau for the perts Professor Sajmir Beqiraj of Tirana, Albania and Dr.

Palau Trench dive – no human has ever previously visited Paige Maroni of the University of Western Australia to the deepest points of these two trenches, and mechanical help further our knowledge of life in the deep ocean. All probes into them have been very rare. Both trenches were data and samples collected will be shared with the local extensively mapped in detail by the expedition using their communities as well as other international ocean research onboard multibeam sonar system prior to the dives to iden- centers. Separately, the ship and team continued mapping tify the deepest points and areas of interest to explore in the sea? oor to support the GEBCO 2030 initiative to map the submersible. the entire sea? oor by the year 2030.

The expedition was led by Rob McCallum and the team The crewed explorations of the two trenches yielded deep at EYOS Expeditions, and technical partners Triton Sub- sea habitats similar to the Mariana Trench, but with slight- marines. ly more wildlife given their slightly shallower depths. High

This was the next leg of the Ring of Fire Part 2 (2022) vertical walls in both trenches were encountered where the expedition, to undertake extensive bathymetric mapping of Caroline tectonic plate is slowly being subducted (pushed the sea? oor in the exploration area and collect samples at lower) under the Philippine plate. At the Yap Trench, various depths of the trenches in cooperation with local Vescovo and Sewralur ascended a deep ocean vertical wall scienti? c and other communities. over 1000 meters high in the submersible.

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