Sea level

(0 feet)

Sunlight zone

130ft

Sunlight entering the water can reach down to 660ft.

Scuba diving

The recommended maximum depth for scuba diving.

660ft

Twilight zone

Only a small amount of light can penetrate the water at this depth.

1,000ft

1,090ft

Scuba dive record

Ahmed Gabr set the record in 2014, training for years beforehand.

1,575ft

Deepest underwater rescue

Two men were trapped in a submersible off the coast of Ireland for 76 hours and rescued on Aug. 29, 1973.

2,000ft

2,717ft

Tallest building in the world

Burj Khalifa, United Arab Emirates

3,000ft

3,300ft

Midnight zone

Nearly 90% of the ocean is in this range. It is entirely dark and near freezing.

3,953ft

Arctic Ocean

4,000ft

(average depth)

4,900ft

Giant Pacific octopus

5,000ft

The maximum depth of one of the ocean’s biggest octopuses.

6,000ft

6,683ft

Blue Ridge Mountains

(maximum height)

7,000ft

7,381ft

Sperm whale

(maximum depth)

8,000ft

8,000ft

Grand Canyon

(maximum height)

8,981ft

Golden Gate Bridge

9,000ft

The total distance that the bridge would stretch vertically.

10,000ft

Titan

Owned by OceanGate, the Titan is a human-operated submersible designed to take five people down to 13,123ft. Its location is currently unknown.

11,000ft

12,000ft

12,500ft

RMS Titanic

The wreck of the Titanic sits nearly 2.4 miles down on the ocean floor.

Sea level

(0 feet)

Sunlight zone

130ft

Sunlight entering the water can reach down to 660ft.

Scuba diving

The recommended maximum depth for scuba diving.

660ft

Twilight zone

Only a small amount of light can penetrate the water at this depth.

1,000ft

1,090ft

Scuba dive record

Ahmed Gabr set the record in 2014, training for years beforehand.

1,575ft

Deepest underwater rescue

Two men were trapped in a submersible off the coast of Ireland for 76 hours and rescued on Aug. 29, 1973.

2,000ft

2,717ft

Tallest building in the world

Burj Khalifa, United Arab Emirates

3,000ft

3,300ft

Midnight zone

Nearly 90% of the ocean is in this range. It is entirely dark and near freezing.

3,953ft

Arctic Ocean

4,000ft

(average depth)

4,900ft

Giant Pacific octopus

5,000ft

The maximum depth of one of the ocean’s biggest octopuses.

6,000ft

6,683ft

Blue Ridge Mountains

(maximum height)

7,000ft

7,381ft

Sperm whale

(maximum depth)

8,000ft

8,000ft

Grand Canyon

(maximum height)

8,981ft

Golden Gate Bridge

9,000ft

The total distance that the bridge would stretch vertically.

Titan

Owned by OceanGate, the Titan is a human-operated submersible designed to take five people down to 13,123ft. Its location is currently unknown.

10,000ft

11,000ft

12,000ft

12,500ft

RMS Titanic

The wreck of the Titanic sits nearly 2.4 miles down on the ocean floor.

Sea level

(0 feet)

Sunlight zone

130ft

Sunlight entering the water can reach down to 660ft.

Scuba diving

The recommended maximum depth for scuba diving.

393ft

Free dive record

One of the deepest dives with a single breath of air ever, recorded by Arnaud Jerald in 2022.

660ft

Twilight zone

Only a small amount of light can penetrate the water at this depth.

1,000ft

1,090ft

Scuba dive record

1,250ft

Ahmed Gabr set the record in 2014, training for years beforehand.

Empire State Building

1,575ft

Deepest underwater rescue

Two men were trapped in a submersible off the coast of Ireland for 76 hours and rescued on Aug. 29, 1973.

2,000ft

2,717ft

Tallest building in the world

Burj Khalifa, United Arab Emirates

3,000ft

3,300ft

Midnight zone

Nearly 90% of the ocean is in this range. It is entirely dark and near freezing.

3,953ft

Arctic Ocean

4,000ft

(average depth)

4,900ft

Giant Pacific octopus

5,000ft

The maximum depth of one of the ocean’s biggest octopuses.

6,000ft

6,683ft

Blue Ridge Mountains

(maximum height)

7,000ft

7,381ft

Sperm whale

(maximum depth)

8,000ft

8,000ft

Grand Canyon

(maximum height)

8,981ft

Golden Gate Bridge

9,000ft

The total distance that the bridge would stretch vertically.

Titan

Owned by OceanGate, the Titan is a human-operated submersible designed to take five people down to 13,123ft. Its location is currently unknown.

10,000ft

11,000ft

12,000ft

12,500ft

RMS Titanic

The wreck of the Titanic sits nearly 2.4 miles down on the ocean floor.

Note: As of June 21, 2023, at 3 p.m. ET, the location of the Titan is currently unknown and it's unclear if it reached the Titanic wreck.

Sources: CNN, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Dive Magazine; Empire State Building (esbnyc.com); Burj Khalifa (burjkhalifa.ae); Monterey Bay Aquarium; US Department of the Interior; UC San Diego; Golden Gate Bridge (goldengate.org); Guinness World Records; Vertical Blue.

Graphic: Amy O'Kruk and Annette Choi, CNN