Director James Cameron To Film Avatar Sequel and Claim X Prize At the Same Time

The Challenger Deep dive was one of the most extraordinary, in addition to little known, feats of human exploration in history, the voyage in a submarine to a place even more extreme than the surface of most planets.

Twelve men have walked on the surface of the Moon and about 500 have travelled into space, but only Piccard and Walsh have visited the very deepest point of the ocean, which they reached on January 23, 1960.

Now it has been announced that the multi-Oscar-winning film director James Cameron plans to add his name to the very exclusive club of those who have travelled to the bottom of the Challenger Deep, part of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific, and the deepest known point in the world’s oceans.

Attempting such a feat would hardly be a first for the director, who has dived into deep waters several times on because of his films, including “Titanic” and “Aliens of the Deep.” The “Avatar” sequel will reportedly be set in the fictional oceans of Pandora.

In addition, it was reported that he has commissioned a submarine, built of high-tech, man-made composite materials and powered by electric motors, which will be capable of surviving the tremendous pressures at a depth of seven miles, from which he will shoot 3D footage that may be incorporated in Avatar’s sequel.

According to the reports, Cameron has commissioned a team of Australian engineers to design and build a submersible capable of taking him to the floor of the Challenger Deep, and capable of filming in 3D at these depths.

If Cameron succeeds in his voyage to the bottom of the sea, what will he find? In all likelihood nothing more than the etiolated crustacean and fish spotted by Piccard and Walsh. But the abyssal floor at the bottom of this trench remains by far the least explored environment on Earth. Indeed, we have better maps of the surface of Mars than we do of the bottom of the Pacific. However if he can, he could win a $10 million X Prize.

Later this year, the X Prize Foundation is expected to formally announce a $10 million award to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Trieste's dive. The winnings will go to the first privately funded sub to make two repeat manned descents to Challenger Deep.

And this means there are bound to be surprises. Many scientists suspect that some large animals, giant squid and perhaps even whales may occasionally plunge to extreme depths and survive, despite the cold, the pressure, the lack of light and absence of food.