it rains on the land. ♪ >> you will go back to the mariana trench? as you say, there were parts -- you have this wonderful analogy about somebody who lance in a wheat- lands ins a small field. i do not mean to trivialize what we did but i use it as an example of how we really only scratched the surface. if you jump out of an airplane at night with a parachute and fieldnd in an iowa wheat and you walk around with a flashlight for a couple of hours, you do not get you say you explored america. if you put all of these deep trenches together, you get an area equivalent to north america. >> a continent. >> a dark continent. it has never been seen. that is pretty amazing. >> think aloud what we might find. >> we have seen evidence to support the idea that life may have originated in the deep trenches. we have found evidence. there are a lot of theories about where life came from originally on planet earth. but a fairly new what is the idea that the subduction process itself, these huge tectonic plates grinding over each other actually generates some energy

the mariana trench is the deepest part, the last great frontier of our world. it is my dream to build a machine to take us there. we are going to do things that the governments of the world cannot do. we are going to do something nobody else can do. >> when you dive to the bottom of the ocean, you have to face the fact that there are 100 horrible ways to die. in the event there is a break in a hatch, the water will bust through. >> it is such an internal drive for him. he has to do it. >> we have to pit ourselves against the elements. we have got to dive. here we go. moment of truth. uh-oh. that is not good. we have got a lot of failures here. we have got a problem. pretty soon you realize you are in this metal coffin. consistently getting weaker and weaker. maybe such risks should not be taken. maybe the consequences to our families are too great. i'm ready to descend when you are. exploration comes with risk, but it is a risk that is worth something. you need to see what is there beyong the edge of your life, to see the unknown for yourself. it is the force t

person ever to reach the bottom of the mariana trench the deepest of the ocean. >> it's the imagination with untold possibilities. this is james cameron. >> i've seen some pretty interesting things in the depth. >> he said if we knew what was there, we wouldn't have to go. >> changeer deep in the mar yawn awe trench is the deepest place on earth seven miles straight down. it's the last frontier of our world. it's my dream to build a machine to take us there. we're actually going to do things that the governments on the world cannot now do. we're going to do something nobody else can do. when you dive to the bottom of the ocean you know there are horrible ways to die. the breaking hatch, the worth will bust through. i get plumed through in micro seconds. >> it's an internal drive for him, he has to do it. >> we're so far it's not even funny. we have to pit ourselves against the elements. you got to dive. >> that's not good. >> a lot of failures here, you've got a problem. >> pretty soon you realize you're in this metal coffin. i'm getting weaker by weaker. maybe risks shouldn't be taken.

. >> changer deep in the mariana trench is the deepest place on earth seven miles straight down. it's the last frontier of our world. it's my dream to build a machine to take us there. we're actually going to do things that the governments on the world cannot now do. we're going to do something nobody else can do. when you dive to the bottom of the ocean you know there are horrible ways to die. the breaking hatch, the worth will bust through. i get plumed through in micro seconds. >> he has to do it. >> we're so far it's not even funny. we have to pit ourselves against the elements. you got to dive. >> that's not good. >> a lot of failures here, you've got a problem. >> pretty soon you realize you're in this metal coffin. i'm getting weaker by weaker. maybe risks shouldn't be taken. maybe the consequences to our families are too great. >> i'm ready to descend when you are, over. >> it comes with risks but it's a risk worth something. it's that need to see what's there beyond the edge of your life, to see the unknown for yourself. it's the force that drives all exploration and cur

mariana trench is long. it's about 1500 miles long and there's a part of it called the challenger deep that's the deepest place on our planet. >> jimmy: and how deep is it? 35 -- >> 35,800 feet, something like that. about 7 miles. >> jimmy: and you were there? >> yeah, yeah. >> jimmy: wow. >> i checked it out. >> jimmy: and i touched your arm. [ laughter ] >> i get to do that too, right? i'm here. i'm on "the tonight show." >> jimmy: but i mean, you did "the abyss." i mean, you've done so many fun kind of scifi movies. but they're fictional. >> yeah, but this is scifi for real. >> jimmy: it freaked me out when i was watching this. you're in, like, the fetal position like a little ball. >> sometimes i was, if things weren't going well. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: you had to make a a sphere so, what -- i would be afraid it would explode. >> yeah, the sphere is really tiny. it's about 43 inches. like this big, you know what i mean? so you spend -- you're kind of like this. >> jimmy: yeah. you're strapped in there wi

when was the dream to go to the mariana trench is -- trench? to be the explorer and the first person ever to do it? >> i think there's a mama where you step our way down a path -- there is a moment where you step on that path, we were going down 16,000 feet on the bismarck rack. we were almost all the way. we're at the limit of our equipment. i just posed the question to the engineer sitting around one day, what would it take to go all the way? to go to 36,000 feet? it didn't exist. then the conversation got started. one thing leads to another. before you know it you are going beyond just a napkin drawing to technical drawings. >> all things begin with a question. an unanswered question. you were out there because on the return, you couldn't land for 10 days. you held off. >> on the russian trip. they needed a port permit. we were slow rolling. we had time to look at our footage and time to think. he became -- it became a sequestered engineering group session. >> once you have the idea of why not what do you do? >> for me, once i can visualize

traveling to the mariana trench in the western pacific, he says hunting for clues to better understand our world. his dive so deep, he passed the last place in the sea where light penetrates, so deep it's even farther than the titanic's final resting place, deeper even than the height of mt. everest, a seven-mile voyage nearly 36,000 feet to the ocean floor. >> my feeling was one of complete isolation of all humanity. >> i can relate. i took a dive with scientists exploring the sea. >> we're on the bottom of the arctic. >> reporter: but while i saw a world teeming with life -- >> whoa, it's huge! >> reporter: cameron's world was pitch black, desolate. but what he could see? a whole new frontier. >> i have seen some astonishing things in the depths, things that fill your soul with wonder. >> reporter: cecilia vega, abc >> >>> firefighters on alert as more severe weather moves into northern california. how they're getting crews where they're needed most. >> the storm system has a history of destruction in southern california. a massive clean up is under way. >> also here san francisco fi

. >> reporter: to the mariana trench in the western pacific hunting for clues to better understand our world. his dive so deep he passed the last place in the sea where light penetrates. so deep it is further than the "titanic's" final resting place, deeper even than height of mt. everest. a 7-mile voyage nearly 36,000 feet to the ocean's floor. >> feeling of complete isolation from all of humanity. >> reporter: i can relate. i took a dive with scientists exploring the sea. >> reporter: on the bottom of the arctic. while i saw a world teeming with life. it is huge. cameron's world was pitch black, desolate, what he could see, a whole new frontier. >> i have seen some pretty astonishing things in the depths. things that fill your soul with wonder. >> reporter: cecelia vega, abc news, new york. >> kind of fascinated by that. a new frontier. places man has not gone before. >> can i tell you i feel like this, i could never do that. because going down and the lack of air pressure. he is my buddy i am willing to go anywhere with him. >> go in his submarine. little pod. arms can't stretch out

traveling to the marry -- mariana trerch in -- trench in e western pacific. his dive so deep he passed into the sea where light country pen straight trait. it's deeper than the -- can't penetrate. >> my feeling was complete isolation from all humanity. >> reporter: i can relate, i took a dive with scientists exploring the sea. >> we're on the bottom of the arctic. i saw a world teeming with life, cameron's world black. >> i've seen some astonishing thing in the depths that fill your soul with wonderful. >> here's what's happening in and around the delaware and lehigh valleys this weekend. the 25th annual pennsylvania dutch festival wraps up at the reading terminal market. festival moves out doors between 11th and 12th on arch, there will be horse-drawn wagon rides and petting zoo from now until 5:00 p.m. the centennial celebration continues in stone harbor with the festival of lights boat parade. homeowners are encouraged to decorated their docks and decks and homes. yacht club prizes will be award for the best dressed boat and dock. >>> the 24th annual downt

his destination, the mariana trench in the pacific. but here you're trusting that this is going to keep you alive seven miles beneath the ocean surface. >> that's right. i'm trusting these guys with my life and they knew that. >> reporter: and so james cameron, the self-described science geek who brought us the abyss and avatar set out in march 2012. on the first solo trip to the very bottom of the ocean. describe for me what you were feeling inside that capsule. >> the sphere is very small. 43 inches internal diameter. so it's pushing down on my head, pushing up on my feet. so my head's against the steel. >> reporter: seven miles down by himself surrounded by complete darkness. it was time for the explorer to turn on his one of a kind 3d cameras. >> 78. should be seeing something pretty soon. >> reporter: did you see any signs of life? >> very small creatures. little guys that were kind of swimming around. life is there. you know? life adapts to the most extreme environments. that's what's fascinating about it. >> reporter: while ther