I have not been to the bottom of the ocean, but I’ve spoken to a fair number of scientists who have, and no two chronicle the experience in the same way. I think the most memorable comment came from a seafloor geologist, who described the slow descent into the abyss as akin to “being an astronaut in reverse.” That stuck with me—the thought of heading into the watery underdark, enclosed within a cramped capsule, frequently enveloped in an eerie quiet. There is, of course, (at least) one key difference between…
