Join us for the greatest dive challenge in the world!
Challenger Deep is the deepest known point on earth. Located at the southern end of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. It is named after the British Royal Navy ship the HMS Challenger that first discovered it during a 1872-1876 expedition, and the HMS Challenger II who determined it’s record breaking depth in 1951. Due to the difficulties in work at such extreme depths the exact depth of Challenger Deep is an estimation of 10,920 ± 10 m.
The first crewed descent was in January 1960 by the bathyscaphe Trieste. In March 2012, a solo descent was made by film director James Cameron in his vessel the Deepsea Challenger. As of July 2022, 27 people have descended to Challenger Deep. We will be joining that exclusive group in 2024!
What is the ‘Descent to Challenger Deep’ challenge?
As a diving community we will conduct regular club dives, over the next 12 months. Each registered participants dive depths will accumulate until we reach our goal depth of 10, 935m – the approximate deepest known point of Challenger Deep.
How do you get involved in our dive challenge?
Register for our ‘Descent to Challenger Deep’
Join us on our club dives and record the depths reached.
Fundraise for our chosen charities I am Hope Foundation & the Wellington Volunteer Coastguard – Click the “participate” link at the bottom of the page.
Join our event Facebook page.
Buy our event t-shirt – Link to be launched 1st of August.
What if I can’t Participate?
You can still help us reach our goal by making a donation directly to our Givealittle page, or sponsoring one of our participants!
Why have we selected these charities to support?
I am Hope Foundation
As divers we all know the benefits of scuba diving to our physical and mental wellbeing, escaping into nature and leaving our worries at the surface. I am Hope has one goal – creating positive societal attitudinal changes and making a difference to Kiwi kids that puts them on a better course in life.
Wellington Volunteer Coastguard
As divers we are often out and about on, in and under the water. While we plan our dives to stay safe, Wellington weather can change in an instant and things can go wrong on the day. With ~80 volunteers on two vessels the Wellington Volunteer Coastguard have bought 1000+ people back home to safety.
Follow us on our event Facebook page for more information on the event, our progress to the depths, our fundraising goals and interesting facts about the ocean as we descend.
