An American explorer who set a new record for the deepest ever manned sea dive says he saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the bottom of the ocean.
Victor Vescovo, 53, visited Challenger Deep, which is the deepest known point in the ocean in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean on May 1, according to CNN. Details of his trip were released on Monday. His team said he set a new record for the deepest solo dive in history, venturing to depths of 35,853 feet.
Titanic director James Cameron held the record before Vescovo’s recent journey.
Aside from plastic trash, he discovered four new species, reports CNN. The team’s scientists plan to test the creatures to see if they have ingested plastic.
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His expedition was part of a Discovery Channel series on deep ocean exploration. The explorers are trying to complete sonar mapping at the five deepest spots in the world’s oceans, according to CNN.
Each year, 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean.
Write to Amy Gunia at [email protected].