The first human-carrying ship to descend to the bottom of the Atacama Trench, 8,000m deep

The high-pressure submarine took two experts to explore the deepest trench in the Eastern Pacific and observe a rich variety of marine life.

For the first time in the world, a manned ship has reached the bottom of the Atacama Trench , the deepest part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. On January 21, ocean explorer Victor Vescovo and oceanographer Osvaldo Ulloa reached the deepest point of the trench called Richards Deep , at a depth of 8,069 meters below sea level. They use the small submarine Limiting Factor with the ability to withstand extreme pressure.

Victor Vescovo (left) shakes hands with Osvaldo Ulloa (right). (Photo: Nick Verola/Caladan Oceanic)

The Atacama Trench, also known as the Peru-Chile Trench , was formed when the Nazca Oceanic Plate slid under the South American continental plate. This trench is 5,900 km long, running along a large area in the western part of the South American continent.

The train to the bottom of the Atacama Trench was not only for record-setting but also for important scientific purposes. This is why Dr Ulloa, director of the Millennium Oceanographic Institute (IMO), joined the mission. IMO is studying the bottom and depths of the Atacama Trench for possible future installation of sensors for the IDOOS project.

"It was a great honor to work with Dr. Ulloa on the first manned voyage to the bottom of the Atacama Trench. It was a great honor to surf the seabed for three hours and see first-hand the interesting points with someone who has studied the area a lot. It's been a wonderful year," said Vescovo, founder of Caladan Oceanic.

"This has been a great day for Chilean science. Thanks to Victor Vescovo and Caladan Oceanic, we were able to witness first-hand the geological and biological richness of the Atacama Trench. Exploring with Victor has been a tremendous privilege. We are very grateful to him, as well as the entire crew of the submarine Limiting Factor and the support ship Pressure Drop , " said Dr. Ulloa.

The Richards Deep expedition was planned to be the first of a series of dives in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and as far as the Central American Trench, off the western coast of Mexico. During the last dive, the expedition also discovered the second deepest point of the Atacama Trench - 7,727m below sea level - 142km north of Richards Deep. Vescovo and Dr. Ruben Escripano then visited the site on January 23.

At the incredible depths below the Atacama Trench, explorers still encounter many species of animals that thrive. Footage they recorded showed many sea cucumbers on the seabed, where no light had ever reached before the submarine visited.

"Together we've observed some amazing evidence of what appear to be examples of chemosynthesis in the deep ocean trench. Here we see elongated microbial structures reaching out. from the surface of the rocks that have never received sunlight, get energy from minerals and gas permeating from the rock, surrounded by a cold sea environment. It's extraordinary " , Vescovo commented.