While not a TV show, Cameron does a solo (sort of) trip

[frothchild]

Film director "James Cameron has returned from his historic dive down into the Mariana Trench, where he shot 3D footage to be used in a forthcoming documentary film"

James Cameron’s epic Mariana Trench dive to be the subject of 3D documentary

While the trip and video I am sure will be amazing, I would love to hear some thoughts on the gas management / theory that allowed an estimated 960 ATA ascent to be completed in 70 minutes after a 3 hour bottom time and 2.5 hour descent.

This is not to be meant as a start to any flaming discussions, I sincerely do not know how the principles apply in a submersible machine verses scuba.

Regardless, I bet the video will be stunning once it is view-able to the public.

 

[scubamarketing]

He's pressurized at surface pressure inside his titanium sphere throughout the dive, so no decompression is needed. To his body (in terms of pressure), he never left the boat.

 

[mathauck0814]

It's not uncommon for many ventures to quite deep depths to include fast ascents. Commercial and Navy divers are frequently brought up in bells or containers that are at ambient pressure at depth which couple to decompression chambers on the surface. The divers transfer from one to another and decompress in the relative safety of the surface. Not sure how Cameron's submarine was engineered, but a direct coupling to the decompression chamber is a likely candidate.

 

[scubamarketing]

It's not uncommon for many ventures to quite deep depths to include fast ascents. Commercial and Navy divers are frequently brought up in bells or containers that are at ambient pressure at depth which couple to decompression chambers on the surface. The divers transfer from one to another and decompress in the relative safety of the surface. Not sure how Cameron's submarine was engineered, but a direct coupling to the decompression chamber is a likely candidate.

Nope, no decompression chamber needed. He was pressurized to surface pressure throughout the dive.

 

[mathauck0814]

Nope, no decompression chamber needed. He was pressurized to surface pressure throughout the dive.

In this case, depressurized. I'd love to read more about how they managed that. Seems like a much more complex task than coupling to a chamber. Infinitely cooler as well.

 

[Tao of the Dive]

There are two sorts of mini subs. Ambient pressure subs, which are usually wet subs, meaning that they are open to the water so that divers can enter and exit with relative ease. The pressure inside the sub is usually equal to the pressure outside, and if at depth long enough, the divers and operators would need proper decompression.

Surface pressure vessels maintain a single atmosphere for the duration of the trip, and recycle air through air scrubbers and add fresh gas from tanks. Their hulls are pressure rated for the depth they intend to reach. No decompression is needed.