Dubai resident becomes first man to traverse deepest place on Earth

Dubai - Only 18 people have ever dared go to this part of the world.

Dubai resident Hamish Harding on Friday pulled off what could be one of the world’s most daring feats: He dived into the Earth’s deepest — and perhaps most alien — realm, the Mariana Trench.

At 4pm, the UK explorer emerged from the depths of the trench’s Challenger Deep which — at nearly 11km deep — is equivalent to more than 13 times the height of Burj Khalifa.

Only 18 people have ever dared go to this part of the world, the deepest known point in the Earth’s seabed hydrosphere. The first submersible hit the ocean floor in 1960 and spent just 20 minutes at the bottom before ascent.

Harding, chairman of Action Aviation, took the plunge in a purpose-built DSV Limiting Factor, a two-person deep-submergence vehicle, along with famed undersea explorer Victor Vescovo. After nearly 12 hours, they re-emerged to the surface, completing an adventure that is set to make a new Guinness World Record for the ‘greatest distance travelled at full ocean depth’.

But why go to such great lengths? Harding and Vescovo were on a mission: As they traversed the ocean floor, they used their submersible’s robotic arm to collect sample specimens that will be analysed by scientists on board the accompanying expedition yacht.

Harding, 49, dedicated the historic dive to the UAE’s commitment to exploration and science. He wanted to search for evidence of human pollution at the deepest point on Earth and look for new species living nearly 11km below sea level.

Before harping on the record-breaking dive, Harding had said: “As an explorer and adventurer, I want this expedition to contribute to our shared knowledge and understanding of planet Earth...And, in searching for signs of human pollution in this remote environment, we hope to aid scientific efforts to protect our oceans and ensure they flourish for millennia to come.”

saman@khaleejtimes.com