Kiwi link to Mariana Trench dive which finds plastic bag

Rob McCallum Expedition Leader of The Five Deeps Expedition Photo: https://fivedeeps.com/ Credit:Reeve Jolliffe

American explorer Victor Vescovo has set a new record for human exploration at the foot of the Mariana Trench, in the Pacific Ocean. Inside his specially designed submersible, he found sea creatures, but also found a plastic bag and sweet wrappers.

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.

The New Zealander whose deep submersibles made the journey possible is Rob McCallum Expedition Leader of The Five Deeps Expedition.

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

New Zealander Rob McCallum. Credit:Reeve Jolliffe

The 4.6m-long, 3.7m-high DSV Limiting Factor submersible was built by the US-based company Triton Submarines. Credit:Reeve Jolliffe

Credit:Reeve Jolliffe

Don Walsh

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