have discovered. "I consider Cameron to be doing for the trenches what Jacques Cousteau did for the ocean many decades ago," said Levin, who's part of the team but did not participate in the seagoing expedition. At a time of fast-shrinking funds for undersea research, "what scientists need is the public support to be able to continue exploration and research of the deep ocean," Levin said. Perhaps referring to his friend's most recent movie, expedition physician MacInnis called Cameron a real-world "avatar." "He's down there on behalf of everybody else on this planet," he said. "There are seven billion people who can't go, and he can. And he's aware of that." For his part, Cameron seems sure that the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER will be exploring the depths for a long time to come. In fact, he's so confident in his star vehicle, he started mulling sequels even before today's trench dive.