What Are The Deepest Parts Of The Ocean?

There is deep, and then there are the deepest parts of the underwater world. These often reach depths that many of us can’t imagine, let alone think about what lies so far below the surface of the water. After all, the ocean can be a scary place filled with all kinds of things we’ve never seen before.

So, what are the deepest parts of the ocean? As well as being a world away from the things we’re used to seeing on dry land, they’re filled with creatures and ecosystems that are still yet to be discovered. It’s only once we take a look inside that the truth starts to emerge.

The Fram Strait is essentially a giant crater

Something doesn’t have to be a trench to be deep. After all, the Fram Strait is essentially a giant crater under the surface of the water, yet it’s still one of the deepest parts of the ocean. Until 2021, no one had seen the bottom of the Molley Deep - the deepest part of the Fram Strait - found just off the coast of Norway. Organic matter tends to fall into the crater, but not many creatures have made their home at the bottom. In fact, the only thing that’s been spotted down here is a sea cucumber that’s called a sea pig. It’s believed the deepest point of it all measures in at 18,210 feet. 

The South Sandwich Trench and Java Trench were largely unexplored until recently

Until 2021, much of the South Sandwich Trench and Java Trench had been unexplored. That was until the Five Deeps Expedition set to change that and uncover what’s been lying underwater undiscovered for so long. The team used a Deep Submergence Vehicle and three landers to check out the areas, finding there was plenty of life living in the freezing trenches. Sponges, sea cucumbers, amphipods, and snailfish were all spotted thriving this far down. Now, it’s believed the South Sandwich Trench measures at 24,388 feet deep, while the Java Trench is slightly deeper at 24,440 feet.

The Puerto Rico Trench was formed by shifting tectonic plates

Traveling 27,560 feet underwater will take you to one of the deepest parts of the ocean: the Puerto Rico Trench. It was formed by moving tectonic plates that slide over one another as the Earth continues to move. Found off the coast of Florida and Puerto Rico, the shifting plates mean the area is more prone to tsunamis and earthquakes than other areas of the planet. It also means more volcanoes are found around the Puerto Rico Trench, with one exploding 26,000 feet underwater and causing mud to fly into the water. The deepest part has since been named the Milwaukee Deep and has only been visited by a handful of people. 

The Mariana Trench is home to the deepest parts of the ocean

Want to visit the deepest parts of the ocean? You might want to head to the Mariana Trench, the deepest of them all, but only 27 people have ever made it to the bottom and back. The first came in 1960, and it’s been highly discussed by biologists and researchers ever since. Even though the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of them all and has extreme conditions, there is life inside. Amazingly, different species might be specific to varying depths of the trench. All in all, it reaches depths of 34,448 feet, is around 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit at its coldest, and has no sunlight.

What are the deepest parts of the ocean? That prize goes to the Mariana Trench, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few contenders that come close. Whatever the case, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to find out everything there is to know about these unexplored pockets of the Earth.