Vanessa O’Brien has boldly gone where no woman has gone before: to the highest and lowest points on the planet.
Years after reaching the top of Everest on 14 May 2012, British-American explorer Vanessa O’Brien completed her submersible dive to the bottom of Challenger Deep, in the Western Pacific Ocean, on 12 June 2020, hitting a record depth of 10,925 metres.
She spent 11 hours crammed in a tiny submarine as she journeyed into the deep, dark and cold waters.
To understand the scale of Challenger Deep O’Brien, 55, compares it to Mount Everest, which stands at 8,848 metres above sea level.
She says: ‘Here we find Challenger Deep is 2,080 metres deeper than Everest is tall. If Everest were put into Challenger Deep, it would still be over a mile underwater.’
To get to Challenger Deep, which is at the southern end of the Mariana Trench with the coordinates 11°22.4′N 142°35.5′E, O’Brien buckled up for a ride on the $37 million submersible, Limiting Factor.
The two-person craft, which is roughly the size of a small SUV, was built by Florida-based Triton Submarines.
It is kitted out with a crush-proof grade five titanium hull, which underwent extreme pressure testing at the Krylov Research Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, before hitting the seas in 2018.
It has since been to the deepest points of all five oceans.
O’Brien felt in safe hands with her friend and underwater explorer Victor Vescovo acting as the submarine pilot.
As with any of her mountaineering expeditions, O’Brien made sure she was decked out with the right gear.
She was continually told how cold it was going to be in the deep ocean, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius.
But the adventurer notes that ‘it is NOT mountaineering cold’ inside the cutting-edge submersible.
She wore insulated climbing pants, a long-sleeve wicking shirt and a down vest under a one-piece submersible suit.
On the footwear front, she says: ‘I did keep my feet warm by using down booties and a thick pair of socks. Victor wore Ugg boots and two pairs of socks. I run hot, some people run cold, but it was base camp cold not the top of a mountain cold!’
Before her 8am departure, O’Brien made sure to have a hearty breakfast and stretch her legs a bit.
Detailing her ensuing ocean adventure, she tells Metro.co.uk: Four hours down and you find yourself in an underwater world that contains fascinating creatures in what is termed the hadal zone, the deepest areas of the ocean.
‘As our work was mapping the area we did not bait to attract any wildlife. However, I did spot a few tracks and signs of life, but not like a coral reef or where there is photosynthesis.’
With her deep-sea expedition ‘being the same as a summit day on the mountain’, O’Brien had her ‘pee device and pee bottle’ to hand.
She notes: ‘There is no toilet on the submersible and given that both Victor and I are mountaineers, it is not a problem or embarrassing to use these pee devices. However, for the record – neither he nor I used our pee bottles during our 11-hour descent!’
Over the course of a mile-long stretch, O’Brien and Vescovo discovered a slope of six metres.
The explorers say that this important ‘not just for the survey, but for disproving filmmaker and environmentalist James Cameron’s assertion that Challenger Deep is a flat landscape’.
When it comes to takeaways from her trip, O’Brien found that while she was conducting research ahead of her submersible journey she came to realise how the ‘oceans are the underdog of the climate world’.
She adds: ‘I am not sure who first said the phrase, “we know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do about our own ocean floor” but it is such a powerful statement. It is as true today as whenever it was first spoken.
‘I find this disappointing, not just because of the ocean surface ratio, but we need water for survival.
‘I would really like our priorities around the oceans and climate change to shift but this will take time, talent, truth and advocacy.’
For those wishing to follow in O’Brien’s footsteps, EYOS Expeditions and Caladan Oceanic are offering adventurous individuals the opportunity to journey to Challenger Deep, which they say is the most ‘exclusive destination on Earth’.
It is running a limited number of commercial trips aboard Limiting Factor with the deep dives costing an eye-watering $750,000.
Omega watches sponsored O’Brien’s overall expedition which helped with some of her costings.
O’Brien says going on a submersible deep dive is similar to mentally preparing for high altitude climbing and there are various factors to consider.
She muses: ‘It is high risk as there could be mechanical or electrical failures, it is not natural to breathe easily as the oxygen is supplemented, you must endure 12 hours in the dark and cold while sat in cramped quarters. There is also an intense amount of focus and concentration involved.’
As O’Brien was also conducting scientific research during her trip, she was trained in how to operate a robotic arm.
During her mission to Challenger Deep O’Brien picked up rocks from the ocean floor and took water samples to help further our understanding of this mysterious habitat.
Along with having a scientific interest, one of O’Brien’s biggest aims is to ‘inspire women to take on new challenges and try different things’.
She concludes: ‘I am trying to do this a bit by leading through example. I started in business (earned some money), climbed some mountains (spent some money), wrote a book (earned some money), and now I am exploring oceans (spent some money).
‘I believe having curiosity, confidence, and a tolerance for risk that allows a feedback mechanism so one can adjust their risk tolerance based on what is learnt from their mistakes is a powerful combination to help them get started.’
O’Brien’s memoir, To the Greatest Heights, has been postponed due to Covid-19 but will be released during International Women’s Month in March 2021.
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