List of people who descended to Challenger Deep

The Challenger Deep (CD) is the deepest known point in the Earth's seabed hydrosphere, with depths exceeding 10,900 meters,[1] located in the Federated States of Micronesia.[2] In 2019, sonar mapping of Challenger Deep by the DSSV Pressure Drop, employing a Kongsberg SIMRAD EM124 multi beam echosounder system, showed three 'pools' – Western, Central and Eastern – that comprised the bottom of Challenger Deep.[3]

Sonar mapping of the Challenger Deep by the DSSV Pressure Drop employing a Kongsberg SIMRAD EM124 multibeam echosounder system (26 April–4 May 2019)

In 1960, Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard were the first two individuals to reach Challenger Deep, completing that dive as a team.[4] James Cameron was the first person to solo Challenger Deep, 52 years later. Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan and Mountaineer Vanessa O'Brien were the first two women to visit Challenger Deep in 2020.[5] Victor Vescovo has made the most dives to Challenger Deep. Up to July 2020 Vescovo had made seven dives to the Eastern pool, one to the Western pool and one to the Central pool.

The following is a list of individuals who descended to Challenger Deep in the Federated States of Micronesia. These individuals will have descended at least 10,900 meters into one of the three pools (western, central or eastern) that constitute Challenger Deep. Only individuals who have descended to Challenger Deep are included in the list below.[6][7]

Year	Order	Name		Submersible	Location	Notes
1960	1st (tie)	Don Walsh Jacques Piccard		Trieste	Western Pool	World First; Depth Record
2012	3rd	James Cameron		Deepsea Challenger	Eastern Pool	1st Solo
2019	4th	Victor Vescovo		Limiting Factor	Eastern Pool	Depth Record; Two Solo Dives
2019	5th (tie)	Patrick Lahey Jonathan Struwe		Limiting Factor	Eastern Pool	Deepest Marine Recovery
2019	7th	John Ramsay		Limiting Factor	Center Pool	LF designer Pilot: Lahey
2020[8]	8th	Kathryn Sullivan		Limiting Factor	Eastern Pool	1st Woman to CD 1st Astronaut to CD Pilot: Vescovo
2020[9]	9th	Vanessa O'Brien		Limiting Factor	Eastern Pool	2nd Woman to CD 1st Woman to Earth's H/L[10][11] Pilot: Vescovo
2020	10th	John Rost		Limiting Factor	Eastern Pool	Longest time at bottom: 4.2 hrs Pilot: Vescovo
2020	11th	Kelly Walsh		Limiting Factor	Western Pool	Son of Don Walsh Pilot: Vescovo
2020	12th	Ying-Tsong Lin		Limiting Factor	Western Pool	First Asian Pilot: Vescovo
2020	13th	Jim Wigginton		Limiting Factor	Eastern Pool	Oldest Person Pilot: Vescovo [12]

Lahey made two dives in 2019; Vescovo made two solo dives in 2019, and six dives piloting others in 2020. Guinness World Records has certified Vescovo's 2019 Challenger Deep dives as the World Record for manned dives.[13] Guinness World Records 2020 has certified all the above dives as records. [14]