Jérémie Morizet from Deep Ocean Search descended to a depth of 10,806 meters
On Sunday 13th October, Frenchman Jérémie Morizet joined an elite club of deep-sea divers after diving to 10,806 meters during a scientific expedition – setting a record for deepest dive by a French national in the process. This remarkable 9-hour dive in the Tonga Trench surpasses even the most legendary dives of the past. Following the legacy of the bathyscaphe Archimède and diver Henri-Germain Delauze, the mission honored a long tradition of French ocean exploration and continues to push the limits of human endurance. The Tonga Trench is an oceanic trench located in the Pacific Ocean, reaching a depth of 10,882 meters at its lowest point, and is the second deepest known trench, after the Mariana Trench. With this achievement, Jérémie Morizet has become the deepest French oceanaut in history.
A Continuously Renewed History of Records
In 1960, Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard piloted the submersible, Trieste, during its dive to the deepest point of the ocean: Challenger Deep, an underwater depression of 10,916 meters in the Mariana Trench. 28-year-old Don Walsh, a lieutenant in the United States Navy, piloted the Trieste with Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard for nine hours to reach Challenger Deep, approximately 320 kilometers southwest of Guam. In 1962, the French team broke their own record with Archimède, reaching a depth of 9,545 meters. In collaboration with Commander HOUOT and Chief Engineer Pierre WILLM, H-G DELAUZE organized the Archimède campaign in the Kuril Trench (Japan). He also negotiated a scientific collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Professor SAZAKI. On July 26, 1962, H-G DELAUZE, accompanied by Commander O’BYRNE and Professor SAZAKI, achieved Archimède’s deepest dive at 9,545 meters.
The Legacy of the Limiting Factor
At the controls of his submarine, Limiting Factor, explorer Victor Vescovo set a new diving record in early 2019 by reaching a depth of 10,928 meters in the Mariana Trench. This is the deepest point ever reached by a human, exceeding previous records by several meters. Victor Vescovo spent precisely 4 hours and 8 minutes at the bottom before ascending to the surface — a record time. James Cameron had previously spent about 3 hours at a depth of 10,908 meters while Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard were at the bottom for 20 minutes before surfacing.
Known as Bakunawa since 2022, Limiting Factor is a crewed deep-submersible vehicle manufactured by Triton Submarines and has been owned and operated by the oceanographic research organization Inkfish since 2022. It currently holds records for the deepest crewed dives in all five oceans. Jérémie dived aboard Limiting Factor on Saturday, October 12, becoming the deepest French oceanaut in the world. Jérémie’s dive symbolizes the next chapter in French ocean exploration and continues the proud tradition of expertise in deep-sea exploration.
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Notes to Editors
About Jérémie Morizet
Jérémie is a subsea engineer. He not only led Deep Ocean Search’s subsea engineering team for Endurance22 but also collaborated with DOS teams to assemble the world’s only side-scan sonar capable of reaching depths of 11,000 meters. This system is now permanently installed aboard Limiting Factor. Just three months after returning from his expedition in the Weddell Sea where he discovered Endurance, Jérémie and Victor Vescovo located USS Samuel B. Roberts—the deepest wreck in the world—at a depth of 6,895 meters using this new sonar. Today, Jérémie ranks as the eighth deepest French diver globally, with dives reaching up to 8,000 meters. He graduated from Intechmer in Cherbourg in 2003 (Challenger promotion), where he completed a “Stream 3: Bachelor Oceanographer Prospector” program in partnership with Glamorgan University in Wales. The Intechmer class of 2024 bears his name.
About Deep Ocean Search
Deep Ocean Search is an innovative company providing global solutions for very deep-water activities. For over ten years, DOS has operated daily at extreme depths. Founded in 2010 to address a wide range of underwater study and operational needs at depths up to six thousand meters, DOS combines specialized study equipment and robotic systems with a highly experienced team. The unique capabilities of DOS are available to other organizations wishing to operate in very deep waters. DOS provides advanced underwater services worldwide—operating around-the-clock from shallow to ultra-deep areas. For more information: Deep Ocean Search
