Chilling Video Shows How Deep the Ocean Actually Is— And It Has Unlocked a New Fear in People

In 1960, a time before humans made the giant leap for humankind as Neil Armstrong lay his foot on the moon, two researchers explored the deepest point of Earth– the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. Their manned descent to the Challenger Deep, about 36,000 feet below the ocean, marked a significant milestone for humanity, per the Department of Defense. While the trench has a reputation for its ghastly depths, Zack D. Films (@zackdfilms) put things into perspective with a brilliant simulation of just how deep the world’s largest and deepest ocean is, on YouTube. 

In a brief snippet, the creator explained how many of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, the tallest building in the world would be required to reach the ocean floor. He explained that using the Burj Khalifa to reach the Titanic wreckage, which sits on the North Atlantic ocean floor, would only be possible if five of these buildings were stacked together right from the surface. The depth at which the Titanic was discovered, approximately 12,500 feet, makes up the average depth of the ocean floor. However, this estimate does not consider the deep pits underwater called trenches that deem the ocean deeper. 

Now, considering the deepest trench known to humans, the Mariana Trench, 13 Burj Khalifa buildings will be needed, stacked together, from the surface to reach the bottom of the oceanic trench. That said, the Burj Khalifa has a total height of 2,722 feet, making it the tallest structure in the world, a record previously held by Taipei 101 between 2004 to 2010. It is easy to imagine the massive depth of the Mariana Trench when compared with Burj Khalifa, hence, left people in wonder. The simulation attracted 45 million views and 2.1 million likes. Netizens took to the comments section to express their awe and thrill with a variety of insights.

“New fear unlocked: Being 13 Burj Khalifas below the ocean's surface,” wrote one person (@SpartDawg77) while someone else (@aarots) noted, “The scary part is that relatively to earth, Challenger Deep (the deepest point of the ocean - about 12 kilometers) is like the skin of an apple to its center.” “Mad respect for whoever figured this out,” quipped another enlightened person (@Not_toxic15). 

An internet user (@leafloaf5054) expressed, “That's so deep. Also, it's crazy how deep the ocean is.” Lauding the chilling simulation video, a commenter (@GouriSundaresh) said, “The animation from the ocean floor to the surface while stacking Burj Khalifas on top scared the sh*t out of me, for real.” The general opinion was that people had no clue that the ocean would be this deep, a fact that left them terrified. Several others made jokes about buildings inside the ocean or how the creator teased an interesting relatability with the Burj Khalifa. According to Marine Insight, the Mariana Trench easily tops the list of the deepest pits of the ocean. But there are several more.

Tonga Trench ranks as the second deepest ocean trench, located in the southwest Pacific at the northern end of the Kermadec Tonga Subduction Zone. It lies at a depth of 35,700 feet. Other important trenches undersea include the Philippine Trench, Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, Kermadec Trench, Japan Trench, Peru-Chile Trench, and others.

You can follow @zackdfilms on YouTube for more interesting videos.