James Cameron is a Badass, and Not Because of Movies

:THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN SERIES:      click here to see more from the series

You heard it. James Cameron is much more than just a movie producer/director, he is a serious badass.  We all know him today for the big movies like Terminator, Avatar and Titanic, but he is leaving the world of make believe soon.  Actually he left it a while ago, but his new expedition is his biggest yet.

During the filming of Titanic, Cameron made 12 dives to the actual wreck of the ship, far below the surface of the ocean. As part of the whole process his team developed many new technologies for underwater filming, while his excitement toward deep-ocean exploration led him to start Earthship Productions, which produces films about ocean exploration and conservation. All of his time spent deep under the sea led him to the preparation for the most intense project yet — a submarine descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of 35,800 ft. That is right, the deepest known place on planet earth. It almost sounds like science fiction coming from one of the most notorious sci-fi producers of all time. (continued below)

Without getting into any serious calculations, the pressure at that depth is close to 20,000 psi… and as if that wasn’t wild enough, the scariest part may be that he will be down there all by himself piloting the rig in utter darkness. This is expedition at its best. It is truly life’s adventure at its best as well. Why? Cameron came to California in 1971 at the age of 17. After studying physics at Fullerton Junior College and working as a truck driver, he eventually made his way into film and the rest is a well known history to us all. He is a true inspiration of where life can lead you from the top of Hollywood to the deepest depths of the ocean.

The sub is called the Deepsea Challenger and has been in the works since 2005 with over 100 people involved in making the wild project come to life. It has been over 50 years since anyone has gone this deep. The Bathyscaphe Trieste made it to a depth of 35,804 ft in 1960 and while a voyage this deep has already been achieved, the voyage of the Deepsea Challenger will break new ground in underwater exploration. This dive will capture the deepest of deep for all of us to see with the camera technology of today and it even has a mechanical arm that will bring back animals and samples from the bottom. This exciting new expedition has regular updates at www.deepseachallenge.com.  Very soon they will make the big dive and Cameron will hopefully achieve yet another jaw dropping accomplishment. The producer/truck driver/physics student/explorer/inventor/deep sea diver/engineer/3 time academy award winner/cool dude is undoubtedly an incredible human. We wish him good luck in the deep.

For more of Cameron’s underwater exploits, check out the fascinating “Making of the Abyss” on Youtube. For more of Visual New’s Incredible Human Series, click here.

Image from CNN