Victor Vescovo facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Victor Vescovo
Vescovo at sea, 2020
Born	(1966-02-10) February 10, 1966 (age 59) Dallas, Texas, US
Education	Stanford University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard Business School
Occupation	Private equity investor, former naval officer, mountain climber, undersea explorer
Title	Co-Founder, Insight Equity Holdings; Commander, US Navy (Ret.)
Awards	The Explorer Medal (2020), Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration (2021), The Historical Diving Society USA – Hans Hass Award (2023)

Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1993–2013
Rank	Commander

Space career
Blue Origin Space Tourist
Missions	Blue Origin NS-21

Victor Lance Vescovo (born February 10, 1966) is an American explorer. He is known for reaching some of the highest and lowest points on Earth. He has climbed the highest mountains on all seven continents. He has also visited the deepest parts of all five of Earth's oceans. This makes him one of the few people to achieve both the Explorers Grand Slam and the "Five Deeps" challenge.

Early Life and Education
Military Service
Exploring the Deepest Oceans
Exploring Maritime History
World Records
Space Flight
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Victor Vescovo grew up in Dallas, Texas. He went to St. Mark's School of Texas. After high school, he studied at several top universities. He earned a degree in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University. He also got a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Later, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Military Service

Vescovo served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 20 years. He was an intelligence officer. In 2013, he retired as a Commander. In 2025, the U.S. Navy announced that a new ship would be named after him. This ship, the USNS Victor Vescovo, is an ocean surveillance ship. It helps the Navy gather information about the oceans.

Exploring the Deepest Oceans

In 2018, Victor Vescovo started the "Five Deeps Expedition." His goal was to dive to the deepest point in each of the world's five oceans. He wanted to do this by September 2019. He achieved this goal one month early! A TV show called Expedition Deep Ocean filmed his journey. During these dives, his team collected samples of sea life. They also confirmed the exact depths of these places.

DSV Limiting Factor during sea trials

Vescovo used a special submarine called the DSV Limiting Factor. This submarine was built to go to extreme depths. It had a support ship, the DSSV Pressure Drop, and robotic landers. These landers could explore the seafloor.

Atlantic Ocean Dive

In December 2018, Vescovo made history. He became the first person to reach the deepest point of the Atlantic Ocean. He piloted the Limiting Factor to the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench. This spot is about 8,376 meters (27,480 feet) deep. It is now known as the Brownson Deep.

Southern Ocean Dive

On February 4, 2019, Vescovo reached the bottom of the Southern Ocean. This dive was in the southern part of the South Sandwich Trench. His team used special sonar equipment to map the trench accurately.

Indian Ocean Dive

On April 16, 2019, Vescovo dived to the bottom of the Sunda Trench. This trench is south of Bali in the Indian Ocean. His team saw what they thought were new species. These included a type of fish called a hadal snailfish. They also saw a jelly-like creature.

Victor Vescovo in 2019

Pacific Ocean Dives

On April 28, 2019, Vescovo went to the deepest place in the ocean. This is the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. He piloted the Limiting Factor to a depth of 10,928 meters (35,853 feet). This set a new world record!

He dived a second time on May 1. This made him the first person to visit the Challenger Deep twice. During his dives, he found new types of marine animals. Sadly, he also found some plastic waste. He saw a snailfish at 8,000 meters (26,250 feet) deep. He also saw a spoon worm at nearly 7,000 meters (23,000 feet). These were the deepest sightings ever for these creatures.

On May 7, 2019, Vescovo also explored the Sirena Deep. This is the third deepest point in the ocean. It is near the Challenger Deep. They spent almost three hours there. They even brought back a piece of rock from the Mariana Trench.

Tonga Trench and Arctic Ocean

On June 10, 2019, Vescovo reached the bottom of the Horizon Deep. This is in the Tonga Trench. It is the second deepest point on Earth. It is also the deepest in the Southern Hemisphere. Unlike some other deep spots, this area seemed untouched by human pollution.

Vescovo finished his Five Deeps Expedition on August 24, 2019. He reached the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean. He was the first person to ever visit this location.

Exploring Maritime History

Victor Vescovo has also explored famous shipwrecks.

RMS Titanic

In 2019, Vescovo visited the wreck of the RMS Titanic. This was the first time anyone had revisited the wreck in 15 years. They found that the ship was still rusting. Bacteria were also growing on its metal surfaces.

French Submarine Minerve

In February 2020, Vescovo piloted his submersible to the wreck of the French submarine Minerve. This submarine sank in the Mediterranean Sea. He took a retired French admiral and the son of the submarine's captain to the wreck. They placed a special plaque there to remember the crew.

Victor Vescovo piloting his submersible during a dive to the wreck of the French submarine Minerve

Deepest Shipwrecks

In 2021, Vescovo found and explored the wreck of the USS Johnston (DD-557). This ship sank during a famous naval battle in 1944. It was found at a depth of 6,456 meters (21,181 feet). At the time, it was the deepest shipwreck ever explored.

In 2022, Vescovo found another shipwreck. It was the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). This ship also sank in the same battle in 1944. It was found at 6,895 meters (22,621 feet) deep. This made it the deepest identified shipwreck at that time.

Submersible Safety

In June 2023, Victor Vescovo's friend, Hamish Harding, died while trying to see the Titanic wreck. This happened in a different submersible called the Titan. Vescovo shared his thoughts, saying: "Deep ocean diving is very safe when industry standard certifications and procedures are followed." He emphasized the importance of safety in deep-sea exploration.

World Records

In 2019, Guinness World Records recognized Victor Vescovo for an amazing achievement. He covered the greatest vertical distance without leaving Earth's surface.

On May 24, 2010, he climbed Mount Everest. This is the highest point on Earth, at 8,848 meters (29,030 feet). Almost nine years later, he dived to the bottom of the Challenger Deep. This is the lowest point on Earth, at 10,924 meters (35,840 feet) below sea level. The total vertical distance he covered was 19,772 meters (64,869 feet)!

Vescovo has completed the Explorers Grand Slam. This means he climbed the highest peak on each of the seven continents. He also skied to both the North Pole and South Pole.

He is also the first person to dive to the deepest point in each of the five world's oceans. He is the first human to reach the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench, the Sunda Trench, the Molloy Deep, the Sirena Deep, and the Horizon Deep. He also reached the deepest point of the Southern Ocean. He is the first person to dive to the Challenger Deep more than once. He has done it fifteen times! He is also the first to visit all four ocean points deeper than 10,000 meters.

In June 2020, Vescovo returned to the Challenger Deep. He took six other people with him. One was Kathryn Sullivan, the first woman to reach this ultimate depth. Another was Kelly Walsh, whose father, Don Walsh, made the first dive into the Challenger Deep 60 years earlier. This made them the only father-son team to complete this journey.

Space Flight

In 2022, Victor Vescovo flew into space. He was part of the Blue Origin NS-21 mission on the New Shepard rocket. Forbes magazine recognized him for being the "First To Climb Everest, Visit Ocean's Deepest Depth And Fly to the Final Frontier." This means he has explored the highest, lowest, and outer limits of our world.