Image copyright Tamara Stubbs Image caption The latest dive reached 10,927m (35,849ft) beneath the waves - a new record

An American explorer has found plastic waste on the seafloor while breaking the record for the deepest ever dive.

Victor Vescovo descended nearly 11km (seven miles) to the deepest place in the ocean - the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench.

He spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep.

He found sea creatures, but also found a plastic bag and sweet wrappers.

It is the third time humans have reached the ocean's extreme depths.

Image copyright Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel Image caption The explorers believe they have discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods

The first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench took place in 1960 by US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard in a vessel called the bathyscaphe Trieste.

Movie director James Cameron then made a solo plunge half a century later in 2012 in his bright green sub.

The latest descent, which reached 10,927m (35,849ft) beneath the waves, is now the deepest by 11m - making Victor Vescovo the new record holder.

Image copyright Reeve Jolliffe Image caption Don Walsh (left), who dived to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960, congratulated Victor Vescovo (right)

In total, Mr Vescovo and his team made five dives to the bottom of the trench during the expedition. Robotic landers were also deployed to explore the remote terrain.

Mr Vescovo said: "It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did.

"This submarine and its mother ship, along with its extraordinarily talented expedition team, took marine technology to a ridiculously higher new level by diving - rapidly and repeatedly - into the deepest, harshest, area of the ocean."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Victor Vescovo descended almost 11km in a submersible to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean

Witnessing the dive from the Pacific was Don Walsh. He told BBC News: "I salute Victor Vescovo and his outstanding team for the successful completion of their historic explorations into the Mariana Trench.

"Six decades ago, Jacques Piccard and I were the first to visit that deepest place in the world's oceans.

"Now in the winter of my life, it was a great honour to be invited on this expedition to a place of my youth."

The team believes it has discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods, saw a creature called a spoon worm 7,000m-down and a pink snailfish at 8,000m.

They also discovered brightly coloured rocky outcrops, possibly created by microbes on the seabed, and collected samples of rock from the seafloor.

Humanity's impact on the planet was also evident with the discovery of plastic pollution. It's something that other expeditions using landers have seen before.

Millions of tonnes of plastic enter the oceans each year, but little is known about where a lot of it ends up.

Image copyright Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel Image caption Victor Vescovo spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench

The scientists now plan to test the creatures they collected to see if they contain microplastics - a recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.

The dive forms part of the Five Deeps expedition - an attempt to explore the deepest points in each of the world's five oceans.

It has been funded by Mr Vescovo, a private equity investor, who before turning his attention to the ocean's extreme depths also climbed the highest peaks on the planet's seven continents.

Image copyright Reeve Jolliffe Image caption The 4.6m-long, 3.7m-high DSV Limiting Factor submersible was built by the US-based company Triton Submarines

Image copyright Reeve Jolliffe Image caption After the record dive, the submersible was brought back on the expedition's main vessel - the DSSV Pressure Drop

As well as the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, in the last six months dives have also taken place in the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376m/27,480ft down), the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,433m/24,388ft) and the Java Trench in Indian Ocean (7,192m/23,596ft).

The final challenge will be to reach the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, which is currently scheduled for August 2019.

The 4.6m-long, 3.7m-high submersible - called the DSV Limiting Factor - was built by the US-based company Triton Submarines, with the aim of having a vessel that could make repeated dives to any part of the ocean.

At its core is a 9cm-thick titanium pressure hull that can fit two people, so dives can be performed solo or as a pair.

It can withstand the crushing pressure found at the bottom of the ocean: 1,000 bars, which is the equivalent of 50 jumbo jets piled on top of a person.

Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel Mariana Trench 10,994 Deepest natural trench in metres

1960 First dive

3 Number of dives to date

2,146Higher than Mount Everest in metres, if inverted Source: Deepsea Challenge/Geology.com

As well as working under pressure, the sub has to operate in the pitch black and near freezing temperatures.

These conditions also made it challenging to capture footage - the Five Deeps expedition has been followed by Atlantic Productions for a documentary for the Discovery Channel.

Anthony Geffen, creative director of Atlantic Productions, said it was the most complicated filming he'd ever been involved with.

"Our team had to pioneer new camera systems that could be mounted on the submersible, operate at up to 10,000m below sea level and work with robotic landers with camera systems that would allow us to film Victor's submersible on the bottom of the ocean.

"We also had to design new rigs that would go inside Victor's submersible and capture every moment of Victor's dives."

After the Five Deeps expedition is complete later this year, the plan is to pass the submersible onto science institutions so researchers can continue to use it.

The challenges of exploring the deep ocean - even with robotic vehicles - has made the ocean trenches one of the last frontiers on the planet.

Once thought to be remote, desolate areas, the deep sea teems with life. There is also growing evidence that they are carbon sinks, playing a role in regulating the Earth's chemistry and climate.

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All pictures subject to copyright </s> An American diver broke the record for deepest submarine dive ever and found something disheartening at the bottom of the ocean — a plastic bag. Victor Vescovo traveled seven miles down to the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific In total, he spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep. The last dive he made reached 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) beneath the waves - setting a new record for the deepest dive ever into the Mariana Trench, the deepest trench in all the world's oceans. Humans have reached the ocean's extreme depths for the 3d time, nearly 11km (seven miles) down the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. There were sea creatures, but a plastic bag and sweet wrappers were also foundQOqd3fVQMB — Alfons López Tena #FBPE (@alfonslopeztena) May 13, 2019 Vescovo is only the third adventurer to ever accomplish the feat. The first deep dive into the Mariana Trench was in 1960 when U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard ventured into the deep abyss of the Pacific Ocean. They were followed in 2012 by movie director James Cameron who made a solo trip into the trench. Vescovo's dive broke "Six decades ago, Jacques Piccard and I were the first to visit that deepest place in the world's oceans. Now in the winter of my life, it was a great honor to be invited on this expedition to a place of my youth." Lieutenant Don Walsh, USN, and Jacques Piccard in the bathyscaphe TRIESTE. Location: Marianas Trench Photo dated 1960. Archival Photography by Steve Nicklas, NOS, NGS/Part of the NOAA Ship Collection The dives were made in Vescovo's submersible, the "DSV Limiting Factor," collecting biological and rock samples. The team believes they have discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods, saw a creature called a spoon worm 7,000 meters-down and a pink snailfish at 8,000 meters, all inhabitants of the deep sea, reports However, he also made an unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 6.8 miles to a point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth, seeing something he was not expecting to come across so deep beneath the surface - trash. This is a spoon worm (Echiura) like the one Vescovo saw in the Mariana Trench. Yes, Vescovo had to travel nearly seven miles down into the ocean to find a plastic bag. The team plans on having the sea creatures they collected tested for microplastics. A recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep. So far, besides the recent descent into the Mariana Trench, Vescovo has also dived the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376m/27,480ft down), the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,433m/24,388ft) and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean (7,192m/23,596ft). The last challenge will be to reach the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, an expedition planned for August this year. Victor Vescovo is a retired naval officer and the Dallas-based co-founder of Insight Equity Holdings, a private equity fund. He is also an adventurer and explorer. Vescovo and his team dove to the bottom of the Mariana Trench five times as part of Vescovo's "Five Deeps expedition," his attempt to explore the deepest parts of all five oceans.In total, he spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep. The last dive he made reached 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) beneath the waves - setting a new record for the deepest dive ever into the Mariana Trench, the deepest trench in all the world's oceans.Vescovo is only the third adventurer to ever accomplish the feat. The first deep dive into the Mariana Trench was in 1960 when U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard ventured into the deep abyss of the Pacific Ocean. They were followed in 2012 by movie director James Cameron who made a solo trip into the trench.Vescovo's dive broke the previous record by 52 feet (16 meters), and Don Walsh was there to witness the record-breaking dive. He told BBC News: "I salute Victor Vescovo and his outstanding team for the successful completion of their historic explorations into the Mariana Trench.""Six decades ago, Jacques Piccard and I were the first to visit that deepest place in the world's oceans. Now in the winter of my life, it was a great honor to be invited on this expedition to a place of my youth."The dives were made in Vescovo's submersible, the "DSV Limiting Factor," collecting biological and rock samples. The team believes they have discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods, saw a creature called a spoon worm 7,000 meters-down and a pink snailfish at 8,000 meters, all inhabitants of the deep sea, reports CBS News. However, he also made an unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 6.8 miles to a point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth, seeing something he was not expecting to come across so deep beneath the surface - trash.Yes, Vescovo had to travel nearly seven miles down into the ocean to find a plastic bag. The team plans on having the sea creatures they collected tested for microplastics. A recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.So far, besides the recent descent into the Mariana Trench, Vescovo has also dived the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376m/27,480ft down), the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,433m/24,388ft) and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean (7,192m/23,596ft). The last challenge will be to reach the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, an expedition planned for August this year. </s> Plastic bag found at bottom of Mariana Trench — during the deepest dive

(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. </s> An American explorer who set a new record for the deepest ever manned sea dive says he saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the bottom of the ocean.

Victor Vescovo, 53, visited Challenger Deep, which is the deepest known point in the ocean in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean on May 1, according to CNN. Details of his trip were released on Monday. His team said he set a new record for the deepest solo dive in history, venturing to depths of 35,853 feet.

Aside from plastic trash, he discovered four new species, reports CNN. The team’s scientists plan to test the creatures to see if they have ingested plastic.

His expedition was part of a Discovery Channel series on deep ocean exploration. The explorers are trying to complete sonar mapping at the five deepest spots in the world’s oceans, according to CNN.

Each year, 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean. </s> 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.” </s> Washington: An American undersea explorer who has completed what is claimed to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded, found a plastic bag and candy wrappers in the southern end of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench.

Victor Vescovo journeyed 35,853 feet to the bottom of the Challenger Deep as part of a mission to chart the world’s deepest underwater places, CNN reported.

Making multiple trips nearly 11 km 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.

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.

As well as four new species that could offer clues about the origins of life on Earth, Vescovo observed the plastic bag and candy wrappers at the deepest point on the planet.

Details of the voyage, made on May 1, were released for the first time on Monday.

Vescovo, a 53-year-old financier with a naval background, told CNN that his journey to the depths was about testing the limits of human endeavour as much as scientific discovery.

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.

“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 said.

Discoveries in the Challenge Deep included “vibrantly colourful” rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits, prawn-like supergiant amphopods, and bottom-dwelling Holothurians, or sea cucumbers.

The team of the Five Deeps Expedition that Vescovo’s voyage was a part of, said its scientists were going to perform tests on the creatures found to determine the percentage of plastics found in them. </s> NEW YORK: On the deepest dive ever made by a human inside a submarine, a Texas investor and explorer found something he could have found in the gutter of nearly any street in the world: trash.

Victor Vescovo, a retired naval officer, said he made the unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 6.8 miles (35,853 feet/10,928 meters) to a point in the Pacific Ocean`s Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth. His dive went 52 feet (16 meters) lower than the previous deepest descent in the trench in 1960.

Vescovo found undiscovered species as he visited places no human had gone before. On one occasion he spent four hours on the floor of the trench, viewing sea life ranging from shrimp-like anthropods with long legs and antennae to translucent "sea pigs" similar to a sea cucumber.

He also saw angular metal or plastic objects, one with writing on it.

"It was very disappointing to see obvious human contamination of the deepest point in the ocean," Vescovo said in an interview.

Plastic waste has reached epidemic proportions in the world`s oceans with an estimated 100 million tonnes dumped there to date, according to the United Nations. Scientists have found large amounts of microplastic in the guts of deep-dwelling ocean mammals like whales.

Vescovo hoped his discovery of trash in the Mariana Trench would raise awareness about dumping in the oceans and pressure governments to better enforce existing regulations, or put new ones in place.

"It`s not a big garbage collection pool, even though it`s treated as such," Vescovo said of the worlds` oceans.

In the last three weeks, the expedition has made four dives in the Mariana Trench in his submarine, "DSV Limiting Factor," collecting biological and rock samples.

It was the third time humans have dived to the deepest point in the ocean, known as Challenger Deep. Canadian moviemaker James Cameron was the last to visit in 2012 in his submarine, reaching a depth of 35,787 feet (10,908 meters).

Prior to Cameron`s dive, the first-ever expedition to Challenger Deep was made by the U.S. Navy in 1960, reaching a depth of 10,912 meters. </s> On the deepest dive ever made by a human inside a submarine, a United States explorer saw something he could have found in the gutter of nearly any street in the world: rubbish.

Victor Vescovo, a retired naval officer and Texas-based investor, said he made the unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 10,928 metres to a point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth.

Mr Vescovo also saw angular metal or plastic objects, one with writing on it.

"It was very disappointing to see obvious human contamination of the deepest point in the ocean," he said.

Plastic waste has reached epidemic proportions with an estimated 100 million tonnes of it now found in the world's oceans, according to the United Nations.

Previous analysis of tiny deep-sea animals in the Mariana Trench found the ocean depths contain high levels of pollution.

In the last three weeks, the expedition has made four dives in the Mariana Trench in Mr Vescovo's submarine, DSV Limiting Factor, collecting biological and rock samples.

According to Five Deeps Expedition, their scientific team identified at least three new species of marine animal during the dive series, which also went to the bottom of the Indian, Southern and Atlantic oceans.

A type of long-appendaged amphipod was discovered at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench.

In the Java Trench, the deepest point of the Indian Ocean, researchers identified a gelatinous animal — thought to be a stalked ascidean, otherwise known as a sea squirt — which they said does not resemble anything seen before.

"It is not often we see something that is so extraordinary that it leaves us speechless," said chief expedition scientist Dr Alan Jamieson.

Mr Vescovo is the first person to make multiple dives to the depths of the Mariana Trench, where on one occasion he spent four hours on the bottom.

His latest dive went 16 metres lower than the previous deepest descent in the trench in 1960.

"It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did," Mr Vescovo said after arriving in Guam after the completion of the dives.

"This submarine and its mother ship, along with its extraordinarily talented expedition team, took marine technology to an unprecedented new level by diving — rapidly and repeatedly — into the deepest, harshest area of the ocean."

Canadian filmmaker James Cameron was the last to visit in 2012 in his submarine, reaching a depth of 10,908 meters.

The first-ever expedition to Challenger Deep was made by the United States Navy in 1960. </s> The alleged deepest manned sea dive ever recorded showed us just how far down our trash goes.

Explorer Victor Vescovo journeyed 10,928 meters (35,853 feet) to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, believed to be the deepest point on the planet, on April 28. It's part of the Five Deeps Expedition, which is charting the ocean's five deepest areas.

The scientific team identified at least three new species of marine animal during this dive series, including a type of long-appendaged Amphipod, at the bottom of the Challenger Deep.

Unfortunately, Vescovo also spotted a plastic bag and candy wrappers during his four-hour dive in the Limiting Factor submersible, as previously reported by CNN.

"It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did," he said in a release after the completion of the dives. "We feel like we have just created, validated, and opened a powerful door to discover and visit any place, any time, in the ocean -- which is 90% unexplored."

Vescovo also beat James Cameron's Challenger Deep record -- the Titanic director reached a depth of 10,908 meters (35,787 feet) in 2012.

The Five Deeps Expedition will be aired in a five-part Discovery Channel documentary series in late 2019. It already revealed a strange new species of sea squirt at the deepest point of the Indian Ocean.

Depressingly, scientists last month revealed that radioactive carbon from nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s reached the deepest points of the Pacific Ocean.

On the positive side, Australia is committing around $157 million a year to preserve its Great Barrier Reef from the ravages of climate change.
American undersea explorer Victor Vescovo sets a new world record for the deepest ever sea dive at 10,972 metres (35,997 ft) in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. Several unusual things are discovered at the bottom, including four new species of prawn-like crustaceans, a new species of snailfish, strange brightly coloured rocky outcrops and a plastic bag.