James Cameron's Deep Sea Challenge

I'm a big James Cameron fan for one reason, and one reason only: Titanic.  But after reading a profile on him in the New Yorker called "A Man of Extremes," I've had mixed emotions on him.  True, he's a genius of visual effects, but he's also one of the most arrogant men I've ever read about.

Today, National Geographic reminded me why I love him so much.  Sure he's arrogant, but lets face it.  He has a right to be.

Cameron, an Explorer in Residence since 2011, is teaming up with National Geographic for a deep sea dive that hasn't been attempted in 52 years.  His project is called the Deep Sea Challenge (LINK!), and for it, Cameron is going to be diving in a submarine that he and his team built to the deepest point in the ocean, the Marina Trench 7 miles below.  Just to give some perspective, if you put Mount Everest at the bottom of the Marina Trench, even the tip wouldn't be visible above water. 

It's a 1-man sub that's outfitted with 3D cameras, because of course, he's making a movie on it which will air on the National Geographic Channel.  I can't wait! Although I am slightly disappointed I'll have to watch it on my 18 inch tv instead of the big screen.

In addition to filming, Cameron also says he's doing it in the name of science, since the species that live that deep in the ocean aren't well understood (how could they be?  the last time a human visited them was in 1960), and he hopes to shed some light (literally) on the subject.

He's supposed to make the dive in a couple weeks.  No where on the website does it say specifically when he'll be leaving. 

But lets talk about the website, because it's absolutely incredible.  The coolest part in my opinion is the moving background.  On the sides of the screen are measurements of how deep into the ocean Cameron will be diving, and as you scroll, you go deeper and deeper.  But in the background is a photo of the submarine that travels down with you.  So cool, I just scrolled up and down for a while.  What's also cool is that as you travel down, the animal life changes as well, from typical fish, to jelly fish, to the weird glowing fish.  I'm not sure scientifically how accurate that is, but I think its safe to assume that since its National Geographic, it's pretty accurate.  Just look how great the design is:

Here's another link to a video of Cameron talking about the dive: James Cameron to Dive to Ocean's Deepest Point. 

This is definitely a story I'm going to be following.  I hope all goes well and I can't wait to see the finished product!