(CNN) — An American undersea explorer has completed what is claimed to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded -- returning to the surface with the depressing news that there's plastic trash down there.
Victor Vescovo journeyed 10,927 meters (35,853 feet) to the bottom of the Challenger Deep , the southern end of the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, as part of a mission to chart the world's deepest underwater places.
Making multiple trips nearly 11 kilometers, or seven miles, to the ocean floor -- one of them four hours in duration -- Vescovo set a record for the deepest solo dive in history, his team said. The previous record was held by "Titanic" director James Cameron in 2012. As well as four new species that could offer clues about the origins of life on Earth, Vescovo observed a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the deepest point on the planet.
Details of the voyage, made May 1, were released for the first time on Monday.
Vescovo, a 53-year-old financier with a naval background, tells CNN Travel his journey to the depths was about testing the limits of human endeavor as much as scientific discovery. "Going to the extremes I believe is a natural inclination of man," Vescovo he says.
"I think it is a wonderful part of human nature that makes us want to push ourselves to the limits, which has helped propel us as a species to where we are now."
His voyage, in a submersible named The Limiting Factor, is part of a landmark odyssey into the world's watery depths that's being filmed for Discovery Channel -- dubbed the Five Deeps Expedition.
The expedition's mission is to conduct detailed, sonar mapping missions at the five deepest spots in our oceans. As well as the Mariana Trench, it's now completed surveys of the Atlantic Ocean's Puerto Rico Trench, the South Atlantic's South Sandwich Trench and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean.
Next up is a trip to the bottom of the as-yet unexplored Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, due to be completed in August 2019.
The ocean depths represent some of the least explored and remote places on the planet. The Mariana Trench is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
A key mission objective was to capture video evidence of what was at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, which was first explored in 1960 by oceanographers Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard in submersible called Bathyscaphe Trieste.
"I criss-crossed all over the bottom looking for different wildlife, potentially unique geological formations or rocks, man-made objects, and yes, trying to see if there was an even deeper location than where the Trieste went all the way back in 1960," Vescovo says. Discoveries in the Challenge Deep included "vibrantly colorful" rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits, prawn-like supergiant amphopods, and bottom-dwelling Holothurians, or sea cucumbers.
The team said its scientists were going to perform tests on the creatures found to determine the percentage of plastics found in them.
The expedition's chief scientist, Alan Jamieson, spoke to CNN Travel back in April about the discovery of a jellyfish-like creature in the Indian Ocean and the mapping process.
"So far, we've made up something like 150,000 square kilometers of deep sea floor now -- and we're only halfway through it. Those maps, once we've processed them and cleaned them up, they will get put on online repositories, so they will be made available to anyone who wants to use them," said Jamieson.
Vescovo says he's proud of these scientific finds -- and also that the team's got a submersible that's up for the challenge. The Limiting Factor is described as the world's first two-person, titanium-hulled submersible fully tested to 120% of full ocean depth. "It is very important to us that we show some initial scientific discoveries, just to give a small sample of what we could do if the sub was in the hands of a professional research organization," says Vescovo.
"That is my sincere hope -- to sell the system to an institute, government, or individual, that can use the whole diving system to advance marine science for decades to come." Spending four hours scouring the sea floor, Vescovo also took time to enjoy the moment.
"Honestly, towards the end, I simply turned the thrusters off, leaned back in the cockpit, and enjoyed a tuna fish sandwich while I very slowly drifted just above the bottom of the deepest place on earth, enjoying the view and appreciating what the team had done technically," he recalls.
"It was a very happy, peaceful moment for me. And then I came up."
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
There are golf balls on the moon and RC cars on Mars...
There will be no playoffs. Can’t play with who we have out there and compounding it with garbage playcalling and worse execution. We don’t have good skill players on offense period. Browns 20 - Bears 17.
That's a cool site but it disturbs me they don't think the growing desserts of the USA need to be dealt with. This man inspire me though.
Simply amazing
You can't fix stupid but you can destroy ignorance. When you destroy ignorance you remove the justifications for evil. If you want to destroy evil then educate our people. Hate is a tool of the stupid to deal with what they can't understand.
This isn't meant as a political statement, even though some may take it as such.
I remember when environmental groups insisted we stop using paper bags for groceries and other stores because we were cutting down too many trees. They insisted we use the new plastic bags to be eco friendly.
Not sure when the transition happened but I think it was in the 1980s.
Well growing hemp was illegal then. And they were right. And in case you missed it, they never proposed plastic was a good alternative. We have a cheap, natural alternative now. Hemp. No excuse not to use it.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Not sure how old you are, but I absolutely remember the idea being sold as a better alternative.
The pros were touted as the bags being smaller so they would take up less landfill space and they were stronger requiring less bags per trip to the store. Also it was stated if the paper bags got wet the bags would not hold unless they were double bagged.
Hemp?? Don't recall them being part of the argument at least when the major switch happened. If they are a better alternative I am all in.
We still just have a problem with people. I have been behind vehicles as they toss their McDonalds bag out the window, or a water bottle or red bull can.
I'm no environmentalist, but damn, if they don't even have the courtesy to hold on to it until they get near a trash can, they are of no use to the human race.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
We still just have a problem with people. I have been behind vehicles as they toss their McDonalds bag out the window, or a water bottle or red bull can.
I'm no environmentalist, but damn, if they don't even have the courtesy to hold on to it until they get near a trash can, they are of no use to the human race.
Again, not sure how old some of you guys are discussing this but I was 4th or 5th grade student when the mainstream environment basics started. I remember seeing the pitch in commercials and the Native American standing on the edge of the road and trash hitting his feet thrown from a car.
I don't see what you observe in trash being tossed but someone must be doing it. Another thing that drives me nuts are slobs who leave dirty diapers, food they no longer want, sometimes in styrofoam containers in box store parking lots and have seen trash bags on the side of a highway.
Also something that grates on me are smokers who toss their butts anywhere. I sweep our office front sidewalk and am constantly pickup up or digging butts from the form cracks.
One other anecdotal thing I was surprised by. I always considered the west coast states to be environmentally friendly, at least that is the stereotype I hear. My daughter moved to suburban Seattle a few years and being a walker I was stunned while walking in the "nice" section of Issaquah at the amount of trash on the street.
I don't mean just papers blowing around but half full soda bottles, restaurant bags of half eaten food etc. I actually picked up a few things to throw away and was again surprised I could not find a trash can, I had to go to the grocery store entrance to find one.
I am not sure if the people that do this are even thinking about the environment I think they are just lazy. This is obviously a generalization, but I think manual labor is so frowned upon and some seem to think it is beneath them.
I remember our county seat town was having an issue with students walking across the street from school and taking their lunch break on the neighbor's back porch. They left their food/drink containers & cigarette butts on the porch. The neighbors complained to police and the school and were told there was nothing anyone could do.
One of the students doing this was approached by a local newspaper reporter and when asked why didn't their friends clean up he responded, " let the city do it, that is what they get paid for.
I honestly think our country, at least where I live, is cleaner than 50 years ago.
Sorry this is was so long. Lazy littering makes me crazy.
This is a YouTube of the Pitch in commercial I remember as a kid. I hope I attached it correctly. If not I apologize. Can't wait to try to correct if I did it wrong. I am heading out for a meeting.
I hate to get on my soapbox, but people who litter annoy the hell out of me. Most of the ones I see are fat freaking slobs who are apparently too lazy to walk to a trash can. Instead, they just chuck or dump their trash as soon as they are finished using it. It's beyond infuriating.
I run [not supposed to] or walk on a pathway at the Lake Murray Dam which is fairly close to my house. There is a small park right there and it's a good place to walk/run due to the beautiful sights you see overlooking the lake.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen these fat slobs park in the parking lot and dump fast food bags out of their car windows after they just enjoyed looking at the scenic lake while eating their crappy ass food. God forbid, they get out of the car and walk up and dump their trash in one of the garbage cans. The sad thing is that the wind can blow the plastic lids and straws, the foil wrappers, and the paper bags right into the lake in a heartbeat. There are also many soda cans, wrappers, etc that are just dumped by people from cars or even some of the park's visitors.
I always pick up the trash I see and deposit it into a trash can. It sucks though because I hate touching that stuff after those nasty-ass people have had their hands or mouths on it.
The irony of it slays me. They pick up fast food, drive to the dam to eat their lunch/dinner while viewing an aesthetic setting, and then dump litter that will likely end up in the very lake they enjoy viewing.
I am not some fuddy-duddy, but come on, man! Walk your fat asses to the trash can and get rid of your waste in a more responsible manner!
Nothing matters more to me than our obligation to leave this planet in better shape than when we inherited it.
It sickens me to see all the plastic that washes up all over the world. I wish I could do more than just getting paper bags.
I saw something in the news about these two little girls in I believe Bali. Who started a campaign to pick up all the plastic trash years ago and the country now is backing their efforts.
All the current news on specie extinction and the pressure on the big cat populations. Habitat destruction, poaching. Illegal trade in horns and bones in China.
Vers, littering is one of my biggest pet peeves about other people.
I'm a smoker, I never throw my butts on the ground. Ever. I was walking a golf course with a superintendent when we found three empties at the edge of the fairway. "it's funny," he said, "they can carry a beer can for two or three holes but once it's empty...."
I never throw anything out the car window, that's just plain ignorance and selfishness..., lazy, as you say.
We have a big field near our apartment building and once a year or so, I go out and pick up the trash that's lying about. Litterers tick me off.
WE have a nature preserve one block away. Hiking/biking trails, a river walk, and meadows that bump up against stands of 60 ft deciduous trees. I used to take Bella there 3-4 times per week.
On one of our first hikes of the Spring, I used to take a 30-gal garbage bag with me, and we'd walk the opposite direction. I'd pick up any trash I could along the way. Used to drive B nuts: "Dang Dad- why so slow?"
That hike is about 1.75 miles, and when we exited at the trailhead, that bag would be crammed full of everyday trash. I had to ignore old tires, car parts, broken household items, etc that folks would just dump at the park's perimeter- too heavy/impractical to carry.
I couldn't go there this year. It still hurts to not have her by my side. But I'm sure that if I went this week, I'd drag every bit as much from that park as I did the past 8 years.
Too many people are lazy. Too many are selfish and don't care about anything other than themselves. Of course, they are the first ones to cry foul when their "rights" are supposedly violated.
I don't want to get too deep on this and freak people out, but I really believe in the power of nature...the theory of Mother Earth. I believe in the powers and the importance of nurturing what nature/Mother Earth has provided for us. I believe in honoring her many gifts to mankind. I believe in that old Native American theory that none of us own the land, but are just borrowing it. I believe that many humans are so wrapped up in their own selves that they don't give a damn about preserving the gifts that Mother Earth provides us all.
And I am no tree hugger. I never join any such group. I am just saying that it is common sense to protect the environment that our offspring will one day have to live in.
Remember when pop would come in glass bottles and when they were empty you take them back to the store for a deposit. Now we are so green now days that our pop comes in plastic bottles. PROGRESS
The road I live on is about 7-8/10yths. of a mile.
Starting when my daughter was about 4, she and I would take the golf cart out each spring to clean up the road. She loved it. And, as she got a bit older, she loved it more cause I let her drive the golf cart. We'd end up doing it 3-4 times per season.
We even got a neighbor to volunteer to help us.
As Sooga got a bit older, she had 'other' things to do, but I still do it.
On a side note: I/we apparently live a sandwich, nuggets, and fries away from McDonalds. Almost weekly I'm picking that up out of yard.
And Mt. Dew seems to be the top seller as far as pop/soda goes. Plastic bottles in the yard, constantly.
Remember when pop would come in glass bottles and when they were empty you take them back to the store for a deposit. Now we are so green now days that our pop comes in plastic bottles. PROGRESS
Yep, and my wife and I used cloth reusable diapers for our kids. WE drank OJ from concentrate using much less packaging. My Mom sewed our torn clothes and darned our socks rather than throw them out. My dad used a double replaceable razor blade instead of throwing plastic in the trash can every week.
Milk came in returnable bottles also. We have become a throw away society. I also think we waste a lot of food. My Mom saved even a serving spoon sized so it wasn't wasted. My parents grew up in the heart of the depression and I cringe when I hear how bad the poor has it today, My Dad worked on a farm just for meals to help out his family.
Sorry I got off track but our country grows lazy and wasteful.
Littering is an action that is completely controllable. People that do it are pigs. The authorities should make a concerted effort to catch people who do this and not fine them, make them spend their Saturdays (or whatever day they are not working) for two months picking up others trash. Since the police generally have more important things to do, train up interested citizens and give them dash cams. If they catch someone tossing litter out and get their tag # on video, sign them up for 8 days of clean up.
I would like to add that "the good old days" weren't always so good. I don't remember recycling when I was a kid.
I do remember people having large "trash" barrels in their backyard and burning their trash. I remember city windows and window ledges covered w/soot. I remember orange and black skies that were colored by factories emitting toxins into the atmosphere. I remember seeing large drainage pipes constantly dumping hazardous waste materials into our rivers and lakes. I remember strip mining and the vast clearing of our forests.
Some things were better then. Some were not. I think the laws and regulations are better now. We simply have too many lazy, disgusting folks who ignore them.
Not all progress has been bad, I think plastic has been a big asset to man, and has given us the ability to produce some really useful products.
The problem is that people are to quick to toss it rather than recycle it.
Down here, we have trash, yard waste and recycle pickups every week. Our recycle bin is a big 50 gallon can, that we almost fill every week with cardboard, aluminum, metal, glass, plastic. I wish they would take some of the Styrofoam that is marked with the recycle symbol, but they don't, or that more manufactures would use cardboard or fiber packaging material.
We take our egg cartons and plastic bags back to the grocery store and put in their recycle bins.
For our trash, it is usually a half full 13 gallon bag I set on the curb.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
I would like to add that "the good old days" weren't always so good. I don't remember recycling when I was a kid.
I do remember people having large "trash" barrels in their backyard and burning their trash. I remember city windows and window ledges covered w/soot. I remember orange and black skies that were colored by factories emitting toxins into the atmosphere. I remember seeing large drainage pipes constantly dumping hazardous waste materials into our rivers and lakes. I remember strip mining and the vast clearing of our forests.
Some things were better then. Some were not. I think the laws and regulations are better now. We simply have too many lazy, disgusting folks who ignore them.
I remember driving back and forth from Ohio to Buffalo, NY. Right before you entered Buffalo, stood the town of Lackawanna. It was home to Bethlehem Steel and this is the place where I saw the orange skies.
Of course, all the "Steel Belt" cities were similar, but man, I never saw anything quite like what I saw in Lackawanna. Additionally, the stench was overwhelming. It was a must to roll the windows up as you approached and traveled through that area. Even then, the stink would penetrate the interior of our old 1959 Pontiac Catalina and gag the four of us.
I did a quick search and found these two photos. They are examples of what I am talking about.
Something we can agree on again 
I loved those commercials back then, and I still love them today 
![[Linked Image from i28.photobucket.com]](http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/shadedog/mcenroe2.jpg)
