BBC Earth and Virgin announced this week that Virgin Oceanic’;s Five Dives expedition will be joined by BBC film-makers to create new content for both film and television.

The Five Dives project will explore the world”s deepest trenches, covering five oceans at diving depths of 36,000+ feet. The Virgin Oceanic submarine will be a research vessel carrying mounted and changeable pods on the wings with capability for autonomous video recording, HD sonar recording, data collection and research experiments created by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A second submersible will be carried on board the mother ship and be a camera platform at the start and finish of each dive as well as taking part in shallow dives en-route across the world.

Footage will be captured with cameras that generate 3D IMAX+ quality images. The result, say the partners, is that “camera crews will have unprecedented access to Earth”s greatest unexplored territory bringing new discoveries.”
Richard Branson, Executive Producer on BBC Earth’;s oceanic theatrical film, said: “BBC Earth is the ideal media partner for Virgin Oceanic’;s Five Dives project. Key to our expedition is taking our discoveries and story to the world and they are the world-leaders in natural history film.

BBC Earth Creative Director Neil Nightingale added: “This project will unlock the world”s greatest wilderness allowing us to film underwater in a way that has previously been impossible. 94% of known life is aquatic and this expedition will uncover unseen behaviour and footage. It”s potentially the most exciting project a filmmaker could work on.