Descending: into The Deep
Published on Wednesday, September 18th, 2013, under Media
(click on the above image to watch video link)
Canadian Scott Wilson and Kiwi Ellis Emmett have been where no men have been before.
An 18 month trip took them to some of the world’s remotest dive locations – many of which have only recently been discovered.
Scott and Ellis chronicle these travels as co-hosts of a show, Descending on the Travel Channel. We’ll catch up with them each week about the destinations they’ve been to.
Continuing their Caribbean island hopping, the Descending team contemplates underwater art in Grenada, comes face to face with the ocean’s largest carnivore in Dominica, and then goes deeper than they ever have before.
We chat to Ellis about this incredible experience.
What was your favourite dive site from this episode?
Getting the chance to descend below 1,000 ft beneath the ocean’s surface in a submarine was one of those rare, once in a life time opportunities.
On our dive into the deep we not only did we get to see a little part of our planet that no other human being had ever seen before, but we also got the chance to witness fish species that had only just been discovered.
Living in pitch blackness and under immense pressures at these depths, it was hard to believe that anything could survive.
What diving risks were you concerned about in this location?
The thought of the submarine imploding did cross our mind a time or two. The sub was relatively new, so had only made a handful of dives down to the 1,000 foot mark before.
The deepest it had ever been was 1,005 ft, so of course we had to break that record.
The hilarious thing was, literally the moment the digital depth display ticked over 1,005 ft there was a loud bang as the thick steel of the submarine flexed under the huge pressure. It gave us a fright and made us all jump – even the pilot.
What’s one thing every traveller should try there?
Definitely if you find yourself in the Caribbean and can get yourself to the island of Curacao, take the opportunity to go down and explore the ocean in this submarine. It truly is an amazing experience.
Did anything go wrong on a dive?
In Grenada we dived on a shipwreck by the name of the Bianca C. The ship was literally falling apart, it was so badly corroded.
We were warned not to penetrate the shipwreck too deep as it was extremely dangerous because of its state of disrepair.
While we were diving on the wreck there was a large section that collapsed under its own weight, causing a cloud of silt and sediment. It was a good reminder of just how fragile we are under water.
