Explorer and filmmaker James Cameron emerges from the hatch of Deepsea Challenger during testing of the submersible which would dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench on March 25.
MARK THIESSEN/National Geographic
Filmmaker James Cameron takes viewers to a truly alien world in "James Cameron: Voyage to the Bottom of the Earth," airing Sunday on National Geographic, cable 72.
The 30-minute documentary, airing at 8 and 8:30 p.m., profiles Cameron's historic one-man dive to the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep, the ocean's deepest point.
"This is a lifelong dream. Most people know me as a filmmaker. But my passion is the ocean and its exploration," said Cameron, who wrote and directed "Titanic," "Aliens," "The Terminator" and "Avatar," to name a few.
On March 25, the filmmaker made it to the bottom of the Mariana Trench 6.8 miles below the surface of the ocean the Deepsea Challenger (DCV 1), designed and built in Sydney, Australia. He was the first person to spend significant time – three hours - at that depth, exploring the area.
"When you're making a movie, everybody's read the script and they know what's going to happen next," Cameron previously told the media about his dive.
"When you're on an expedition, nature hasn't read the script, the ocean hasn't read the script, and no one knows what's going to happen next."
In the film, the National Explorer-in-Residence describes his journey to the bottom of the ocean.
"I was watching the numbers going deeper," he says. "The sub slows down as you get to the target depth. There is a long moment of getting to think about it. Then you have to get busy. You have less than a thousand feet from the bottom, you fine-tune the ballast, adjust the camera, turn up the spotlight.
"As the altimeter counted, I saw the glow of the bottom!"
The trip, which garnered international coverage, was part of the Deepsea Challenge, a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, National Geographic and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research and exploration, according to press information.
Upon completion of the dive, Cameron became the "only individual ever to complete the dive in a solo vehicle and the first person since 1960 to reach the very bottom of the world in a manned submersible."
The goal of the overall expedition is to also draw attention and funding to the cause of marine exploration.
"More money gets put into space exploration, but the ocean is our life support here on spaceship Earth," Cameron said. "And we're destroying it faster than we're exploring it. I think it draws attention to the ocean and the lack of funding for ocean exploration."
His expedition was also chronicled for a 3-D feature film on the intensive technological and scientific efforts behind the historic dive and was documented for National Geographic magazine. Cameron is also collaborating with National Geographic to create educational outreach materials, according to press information.
Note: In February, two members of the Deepsea Challenge team, world-renowned filmmakers and explorers Andrew Wight and Mike deGruy were killed in a helicopter crash in Australia. In tribute to them, the "Challenge" team honored their memory by moving forward with the expedition.
