đź“…This fact may be outdated
The claim was accurate until 2019. Only 3 people visited Challenger Deep between 1960-2012 (Walsh, Piccard, Cameron), but since 2019, the DSV Limiting Factor has enabled 27 total visitors. The moon statistic remains accurate: 12 astronauts walked on the lunar surface during Apollo missions (1969-1972).
More than a dozen men have stood on the surface of the moon, but only three have been to Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench, the deepest known spot in the ocean.
More People Have Visited the Moon Than the Ocean's Deepest Point
For over half a century, one of exploration's most striking statistics held true: more humans had walked on the surface of the moon than had descended to the deepest point in Earth's oceans. Until recently, that comparison wasn't even close.
Twelve astronauts walked on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972 during NASA's Apollo program. Meanwhile, from 1960 to 2012, only three people had ever reached Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench—the ocean's deepest known point at nearly 36,000 feet below sea level.
The Original Three
In 1960, Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard squeezed into the cramped bathyscaphe Trieste and descended nearly seven miles to the ocean floor. They spent just 20 minutes at the bottom before ascending. For 52 years, they remained the only humans to witness that alien landscape.
Then in 2012, filmmaker James Cameron made the first solo dive to Challenger Deep in his specially designed submersible. He spent three hours filming and collecting samples. At that point, only three people in human history had been there—compared to twelve moon walkers.
The Deep Opens Up
Everything changed in 2019. That's when explorer Victor Vescovo began making repeated dives to Challenger Deep in the DSV Limiting Factor—a submersible designed for repeat journeys to full ocean depth. Vescovo himself has made 15 dives to various pools within Challenger Deep.
The Limiting Factor brought others along too: astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first woman to reach Challenger Deep (and the only person to both walk in space and visit the ocean's deepest point). Dawn Wright became the first Black person to make the dive. Kelly Walsh, son of original explorer Don Walsh, followed his father's path down.
By 2025, 27 people have descended to Challenger Deep. The ocean's deepest point is no longer the more exclusive achievement—but it remains far more difficult and expensive than most people realize.
Why the Ocean Stayed Harder
The pressure at Challenger Deep is over 1,000 times atmospheric pressure at sea level—equivalent to 50 jumbo jets stacked on top of you. Building a vessel that can withstand that crushing force while keeping humans alive is extraordinarily challenging.
- Only three submersibles have ever successfully reached full ocean depth
- Each dive requires meticulous planning and costs millions
- There's no government program funding ocean exploration like there was for the moon
- If something goes wrong at 36,000 feet down, rescue is essentially impossible
The moon missions had NASA's unlimited Cold War budget behind them. Challenger Deep expeditions have relied on private funding and billionaire adventurers. One is a geopolitical triumph, the other a passion project for the wealthy and determined.
Still, the fact that we're now seeing repeat visits to the deepest ocean suggests we might finally be entering an era of sustained deep-sea exploration. The abyss is slowly giving up its secrets—one expensive dive at a time.