Down in the Depths
Seven miles doesn’t seem very much – in terms of a stroll, it might take a couple of hours to get that far. But what if the seven miles go down – in the oceansea?
You cinema director James Cameron’s astounding submarine quest to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench. The journey did actually take close to two hours (and another two to return), but what an wonderful time that would have been – Cameron said that he felt like he’d been to another planet!
So what was the purpose of the journey? Scientists have commented that it was a outstanding achievement in terms of human endeavour and technology, but question whether manned exploration like this is really essential. The submarine had robotic arms that collected samples of rock and soil and humaninvolvement is not obligatory.
It is beyond doubt, however, that marine research is greatly needed, and what this trip, and the publicity, did achieve was to draw our eyes once again to the marine environment.
For those who are interested in taking part in marine research by volunteering abroad, you don’t need to travel seven miles down, but you could have to travel some hundreds of miles across the globe (but in a plane, not a submarine)!
Plettenberg Bay in South Africa has a fantastic variety of sea life around its shores, from elegant dolphins and extraordinary killer whales to playful seals and awesome sharks. By taking the plunge in your gap year or career break to volunteer abroad and work here as an ocean research volunteer for O.R.C.A., you could make a worthwhile contribution to helping marine wildlife to thrive and survive. At the same time you will have the chance to support the community and culture of the area.
If submersible company Triton Submarines has its way, there’s a chance that Cameron’s journey into the depths may give birth to a tourist frenzy where people pay $250,000 dollars to travel into the depths. It costs a whole lot less to get a whole lot more of an experience when you volunteer abroad to work in marine research. And it will do a whole lot more good.
