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The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World's Oceans
The dramatic and action-packed story of the last mysterious place on earth—the world’s seafloor—and the deep-sea divers, ocean mappers, marine biologists, entrepreneurs, and adventurers involved in the historic push to chart it, as well as the opportunities, challenges, and perils this exploration holds now and for the future.
Five oceans—the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Arctic, and the Southern—cover approximately 70 percent of the earth. Yet we know little about what lies beneath them. By the early 2020s, less than twenty-five percent of the ocean’s floor has been charted, most close to shorelines, and over three quarters of the ocean lies in in what is called the Deep Sea, depths below a thousand meters. Now, the race is on to completely map the ocean’s floor by 2030—an epic project involving scientists, investors, militaries, and private explorers who are cooperating and competing to get an accurate reading of this vast terrain and understand its contours and environment. In The Deepest Map , Laura Trethewey documents this race to the bottom, following global efforts around the world, from crowdsourcing to advances in technology, recent scientific discoveries to tales of dangerous dives in untested and costly submersibles. The lure of ocean exploration has attracted many, including the likes of James Cameron, Richard Branson, Ray Dalio, and Eric Schmidt. The Deepest Map follows a cast of intriguing characters, from early mappers such as Marie Tharp, a woman working in the male-dominated fields of oceanography and geology whose discoveries have added significantly to our knowledge; Victor Vescovo, a man obsessed with reaching the deepest depths of each of the five oceans, and his young, brilliant, and fearless mapper Cassie Bongiovanni; and the diverse entrepreneurs looking to explore and exploit this uncharted territory and its resources. In The Deepest Map , ocean discovery converges with humanity's origin story; in mapping the ocean floor, scientists are actively tracing our roots back to the most inhospitable places on earth where life began—and flourished. But for every conservationist looking to protect the seafloor, there are others who see its commercial potential. Will a new map exacerbate pollution and the degradation of this natural resource? How will the race remake political power structures in years to come? Trethewey probes these questions as countries and conglomerates wrestle over the riches that may lie at the bottom of the sea. The future of humanity depends on our ability to protect this vast, precious, and often ignored resource. A true tale of science, nature, technology, and an extreme outdoor adventure The Deepest Map illuminates why we love—and fear—the earth’s final frontier and is a crucial addition to the increasingly urgent conversation about climate change.
Five oceans—the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Arctic, and the Southern—cover approximately 70 percent of the earth. Yet we know little about what lies beneath them. By the early 2020s, less than twenty-five percent of the ocean’s floor has been charted, most close to shorelines, and over three quarters of the ocean lies in in what is called the Deep Sea, depths below a thousand meters. Now, the race is on to completely map the ocean’s floor by 2030—an epic project involving scientists, investors, militaries, and private explorers who are cooperating and competing to get an accurate reading of this vast terrain and understand its contours and environment. In The Deepest Map , Laura Trethewey documents this race to the bottom, following global efforts around the world, from crowdsourcing to advances in technology, recent scientific discoveries to tales of dangerous dives in untested and costly submersibles. The lure of ocean exploration has attracted many, including the likes of James Cameron, Richard Branson, Ray Dalio, and Eric Schmidt. The Deepest Map follows a cast of intriguing characters, from early mappers such as Marie Tharp, a woman working in the male-dominated fields of oceanography and geology whose discoveries have added significantly to our knowledge; Victor Vescovo, a man obsessed with reaching the deepest depths of each of the five oceans, and his young, brilliant, and fearless mapper Cassie Bongiovanni; and the diverse entrepreneurs looking to explore and exploit this uncharted territory and its resources. In The Deepest Map , ocean discovery converges with humanity's origin story; in mapping the ocean floor, scientists are actively tracing our roots back to the most inhospitable places on earth where life began—and flourished. But for every conservationist looking to protect the seafloor, there are others who see its commercial potential. Will a new map exacerbate pollution and the degradation of this natural resource? How will the race remake political power structures in years to come? Trethewey probes these questions as countries and conglomerates wrestle over the riches that may lie at the bottom of the sea. The future of humanity depends on our ability to protect this vast, precious, and often ignored resource. A true tale of science, nature, technology, and an extreme outdoor adventure The Deepest Map illuminates why we love—and fear—the earth’s final frontier and is a crucial addition to the increasingly urgent conversation about climate change.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2023
117 people are currently reading
4000 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
March 6, 2025
''The Deepest Map" covers a lot of ground. Mapping the oceans' bottom turns out has a lot of interconnected pieces that aren't obvious on the surface.
It doesn't seem controversial at first. But mapping is the prelude to exploration and exploration leads to exploitation. People concerned about the exploitation part do not want the ocean bottom mapped before the world decides on who actually owns the oceans resources. The industrialized North wants the control to go to whoever reaches those riches first. The first country or company there owns it all. The rest of the world wants to oceans resources to be owned by every human on the planet.
Of course there's a military aspect as well. Countries have a long history of closely guarding their nautical maps. In fact, a far greater percentage of the ocean floor has been mapped by sonar (as opposed to satellite radar imaging of the oceans' surface) than is available. For instance, during and following WWII the US did extensive soar mapping of the North Pacific and North Atlantic. To date, the US has refused to allow any other country access to those maps. But the US is hardly alone in this sort of behavior.
The ocean is more and more commonly believed to be the original home of life on earth. Deep sea vents are arguably where it all began. But more research is needed. But there isn't too much interest to do so. Space, and not Earth's oceans, is where most science money it's at now.
Author Laura Treythewey covers these and several other interrelated issues surrounding the seemingly straight forward process of mapping the ocean bottom. Her reportage is broad and covers multiple points of view within each aspect she covers. She reveals a far more complicated web of interests, problems, and goals for our oceans than I ever realized. Fascinating read for anyone interested in oceanography, world politics, climate change, or earth sciences.
It doesn't seem controversial at first. But mapping is the prelude to exploration and exploration leads to exploitation. People concerned about the exploitation part do not want the ocean bottom mapped before the world decides on who actually owns the oceans resources. The industrialized North wants the control to go to whoever reaches those riches first. The first country or company there owns it all. The rest of the world wants to oceans resources to be owned by every human on the planet.
Of course there's a military aspect as well. Countries have a long history of closely guarding their nautical maps. In fact, a far greater percentage of the ocean floor has been mapped by sonar (as opposed to satellite radar imaging of the oceans' surface) than is available. For instance, during and following WWII the US did extensive soar mapping of the North Pacific and North Atlantic. To date, the US has refused to allow any other country access to those maps. But the US is hardly alone in this sort of behavior.
The ocean is more and more commonly believed to be the original home of life on earth. Deep sea vents are arguably where it all began. But more research is needed. But there isn't too much interest to do so. Space, and not Earth's oceans, is where most science money it's at now.
Author Laura Treythewey covers these and several other interrelated issues surrounding the seemingly straight forward process of mapping the ocean bottom. Her reportage is broad and covers multiple points of view within each aspect she covers. She reveals a far more complicated web of interests, problems, and goals for our oceans than I ever realized. Fascinating read for anyone interested in oceanography, world politics, climate change, or earth sciences.
November 3, 2023
Well this was much more than I expected: in-depth research, direct experience, content of breadth and depth, great organization, and astute perspectives and analysis. Most of the content was totally new to me.
But calling the Arctic “the planet’s frozen forehead” is a clear indication that the author should avoid literary aspirations and stick to her otherwise excellent writing. I just can’t quit giggling over that one and wondering what the corresponding description of the Antarctic would be.
4.5 big briny stars
But calling the Arctic “the planet’s frozen forehead” is a clear indication that the author should avoid literary aspirations and stick to her otherwise excellent writing. I just can’t quit giggling over that one and wondering what the corresponding description of the Antarctic would be.
4.5 big briny stars
October 21, 2023
As someone who is obsessed with space and will be shot out into the darkness as soon as possible, this book did call me out piercingly with the notion that our waters are neglected far too greatly for our own good. While I would've preferred a text that delved more deeply into the history and biology of how our oceans and ocean critters came to be, this book focussed more heavily on the different projects that aimed to map our ocean floors. Nevertheless, I could tell the author greatly cared about the topic she discussed and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about our waters more frequently after this.
October 30, 2023
It’s an interesting book. My chief complaint, however, is that in a book about mapping, there is not one map or diagram.
July 29, 2023
A look at the history, sciences, and use value of mapping the ocean floor. Trethewey takes us to a number of places and visits with a variety of people who have a stake in this process, from Inuit villages to cramped science vessels, from ultra-wealthy hobbyists to prickly international conferences, and she's a friendly writer and a clear one - she gives warmth, personal experiences and color, but never overshadows her subjects, and she describes unfamiliar and changing science and technologies very well. The lack of any illustrations really hurts this book, though. For a book entirely about mapmaking - how it has changed with history and technology, why maps are important and the many ways they signify - to not include any pictures of maps was frustrating, and even though Trethewey does a fine job explaining in text what these various maps look like I still would have liked to have seen for myself.
I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
January 20, 2025
I'm a sucker for books on Mapping (of any kind) so I was excited to pick this book about ocean mapping, which I knew very little about. There are three main themes that the book follows. The book starts off by following an expedition to navigate to the Five Deeps. We closely follow the mapping and science teams, the science and challenges of mapping in ocean. Then we move on to how mapping seafloors can be helpful in indigineous communities with rapidly rising (and changing) coastlines. The third part, which was the most important in my opinion and I'm glad the author covered it, it about the impending craze of deep sea mining. The sheer amount of politics and rich guys involved in making deep sea accessable for mining makes me a bit disheartened at how humans corrupt the perfectly stable natural ecosystem without thinking about the consequences. I'm not optimistic about how this will turn out as I think some extremely wealthy countries will harvest most of the resources -- this is the colonization unfolding right in front of us.
October 17, 2023
I read a positive review of this book and I got it. It is certainly a good book with a wide-ranging survey of the oceanic mapping. It covers the history of mapping and the uses of mapping (navigation, commerce, military, and lastly, science). Finally, author Laura Trethewey explores the political implications of mapping the ocean floor.
Ms. Trethewey writes the book within the framework of the oceanic exploration ship, Limiting Factor as it takes millionaire Victor Vescovo to all five oceans where he'll dive to the deepest point of each. Along the way, she also delves into the scientific aspects of ocean life, the how-tos of ocean mapping, and underwater archeological sites.
People who like books to stay within a single genre will be disappointed, but people who love adventure and interesting people will be delighted.
I recommend the book for the latter people, as well as those who like oceanic science.
Ms. Trethewey writes the book within the framework of the oceanic exploration ship, Limiting Factor as it takes millionaire Victor Vescovo to all five oceans where he'll dive to the deepest point of each. Along the way, she also delves into the scientific aspects of ocean life, the how-tos of ocean mapping, and underwater archeological sites.
People who like books to stay within a single genre will be disappointed, but people who love adventure and interesting people will be delighted.
I recommend the book for the latter people, as well as those who like oceanic science.
December 29, 2023
an otherwise good book dragged down by needless bashing of "white males," "white men," and "rich white men." the authors personal dislike of white men crept into most chapters in forced jabs that served no purpose other than to push anti-white and anti-male sentiment.
tell me, what place does mentioning the amount of tax Elon Musk's Tesla did or did not pay in a given year have to do with mapping the oceans? Tesla is not even in the ocean exploration space, nor any other Musk co.
tell me, what place does mentioning the amount of tax Elon Musk's Tesla did or did not pay in a given year have to do with mapping the oceans? Tesla is not even in the ocean exploration space, nor any other Musk co.
July 30, 2023
Exciting and thought provoking. Trethewey takes us to every corner of the world following billionaire explorers, scientific researchers, Inuit hunters and industrial interests. The stories are fascinating and the ethical issues critical to the interests of humankind. An excellent read.
January 24, 2024
A fascinating look at Seabed 2030, the international collaboration to completely map the seafloor by the end of the decade. I enjoyed the story of the people and scientists making it possible, and dreaded the inevitable dire predictions their work might enable. In short, deep sea mining is so not the right answer to the climate crisis, please God let's not do that. Or as Trethewey more eloquently puts it: "Given humanity's historic neglect and fear of the ocean, I wondered whether our species is really the best custodian of a map of the largest habitat on Earth."
June 19, 2024
This was such an interesting book, full of amazing information! I found myself getting lost in the stories shared by the author, and getting excited when new discoveries were made. I just came back from a vacation in Curaçao, so it was really cool to hear about the studies off the coast that helped with the mapping of the depths of the ocean floor.
July 27, 2024
This book surprised me. I was expecting a monotonous recount of the growing need to map the seafloor but what I found was a data driven, historically grounded and flat out exciting depiction.
Why are billionaires interested in breaking world records in the deep ocean? Are countries hiding mapped information for their own gain? How can we incorporate crowdsourcing to cover the vast expanse of uncharted ocean terrain? And of course why do we need to map the seafloor?
All these questions and more are eloquently answered in Laura’s book. I found this to be an informative, fun, and eye opening account of the impact ocean mapping can have on our world.
I also have the pleasure of knowing Laura, having met her on one of the research expeditions she describes, and I have deep respect for any author like Laura willing to put themselves in their subjects shoes... in this case go out to sea! For all these reasons, I strongly urge anyone interested to consider reading this book. It will change the way you think about maps!!
Why are billionaires interested in breaking world records in the deep ocean? Are countries hiding mapped information for their own gain? How can we incorporate crowdsourcing to cover the vast expanse of uncharted ocean terrain? And of course why do we need to map the seafloor?
All these questions and more are eloquently answered in Laura’s book. I found this to be an informative, fun, and eye opening account of the impact ocean mapping can have on our world.
I also have the pleasure of knowing Laura, having met her on one of the research expeditions she describes, and I have deep respect for any author like Laura willing to put themselves in their subjects shoes... in this case go out to sea! For all these reasons, I strongly urge anyone interested to consider reading this book. It will change the way you think about maps!!
February 7, 2024
I think this book was a really interesting read. Highlighting Cassie as the main character in the book to tell us the story and the importance of this work was special. She told the story in a way that I, a young, female, PhD student in Oceanography could relate to. I enjoyed the way she wrapped history into the story of what is to come for mapping the seabed. She highlighted the scary potential of history repeating itself with colonizing land masses and now colonizing the seafloor and what will that mean for the health of the ocean and the future of development. I also got to meet Laura for lunch and talk about this book and that was super special.
August 20, 2024
So *deeply* interesting.
April 25, 2025
Okay, but not enthralling/engaging enough for a 4 or 5.
A classic women buried/denied access to science or names kept out of research/discoveries in there too. Not surprising, but I like the way their stories were integrated and shared in this one!
Listened on audiobook.
A classic women buried/denied access to science or names kept out of research/discoveries in there too. Not surprising, but I like the way their stories were integrated and shared in this one!
Listened on audiobook.
November 22, 2024
the good parts: the discussions on why ocean exploration is often underfunded and the dangers of mapping. the varying storylines, some of which were recurring, to frame the overarching narrative about the state of ocean mapping.
the bad part (singular): why are there no maps or images. i want to visualize, i want to see, i want to be there.
overall it was written really nicely. my favorite quote “inner soul searching must accompany outward exploration, or else we fall into a trap of ticking off new frontiers like an endless shopping list.”
the bad part (singular): why are there no maps or images. i want to visualize, i want to see, i want to be there.
overall it was written really nicely. my favorite quote “inner soul searching must accompany outward exploration, or else we fall into a trap of ticking off new frontiers like an endless shopping list.”
July 27, 2023
If the first you heard about deep sea exploration was James Cameron or the recent Titan debacle, then this is the book for you as it explains in detail why the exploration is crucial and needed and what real efforts are being done towards mapping our oceans. Also, a fantastic book to follow on from The Frontier Below which ends where this book picks up.
July 21, 2024
Details the importance of mapping our ocean floors, since we know less about their topography than the moon! Also a warning about the avaricious folks who want to mine the ocean floors--a disaster in the making.
October 8, 2023
Interesting, but admittedly a little dull at points - only so much you can get excited about when the topic is deep, dark, cold, flat ocean floor. That said Laura Trethewey did a good job of balancing those dull bits with interesting new topics. Especially enjoyed the archaeological portion that takes place ~3/4 of the way through. Overall, decent and informative and an important topic to explore.
October 24, 2023
Interesting book about the people, history, technology, nonprofits and companies trying to map the ocean floor. Some parts are really interesting and other parts less so. It’s weird to read a book about mapping with no figures, pictures, graphics or maps. I think visuals would have elevated this rating for me.
July 16, 2023
A very timely reading and such an interesting journalistic endeavour the author manages to deliver here.
Giving the (what I considered previously to opening this book to be a current and new) global interest into the depths of the ocean due to either the running discussions regarding deep sea mining ongoing and forecasted projects or the unfortunate accident from several weeks ago of the commercial submersile which imploded at roughly 500 meters below water surface, this book is discussing why and how humanity managed to get more interested in mapping others planets and the moon space rather than the vast majority of the surface of our own living space.
The author touches upon many interesting questions such as why the first time the deepest point of each of the five oceans has been mapped was only now when Victor Vescovo (which is a Dallas-based private equity millionaire which also summited the highest mountains on all seven continents and skiied to both poles in addition to owning and piloting a helicopter) decided to crawled in the deepest points of the planet. Not to mention the very unflatering rivalry provoqued to James Cameron which was the holder of the solo deepest descent (after the duo from 1960s) and which put into question the scientific work of a team with specialized ocean mappers just to hold his title!!!
Another interesting chapter is dedicated to the Canadian coastline unmapped yet and with very little government interest in even starting doing so, since the “only” winners for the moment would be the local indigenous communities which are basicaly living off the ocean. There the author explains how the continuos changes in the sea water are leading to fatal accidents.
The book describes the efforts poored currently into Seabed 2030 - a project that started some years ago with the aim of finishing the mapping of the seabed (surprisiny only 15% of the ocean sea bottom was previously mapped and NOT a good resolution). The author also explains why and how the world ended having ocean maps from satelites, which together with the stories of the discovery and acceptance of the marine ridges theory make such an interesting reading into understanding the overall picture of the race to map the ocean bottom. Which might have been already mapped by the different inteligence and military national services of some particular countries.
I found the book extremely addictive and informative - lots of new details and stories well documented.
What the author does extremely well is not taking any declaration as a self-staying info, she questions the reasons, the pathways and the results of the past and current movements on the deep sea field.
And most of all, she asks the key question: why? To what end? And than what?!?
I found enlighthing the chapters on the already started and failed deep sea mining project, the narrative private companies are delivering to all listening audiences about how deep sea mining must happen in order to fight climate change but that just in order to get licences all over the world (since no attempts to really quantify these operations and their effects are currently taken), how intergovernmental efforts and treaties into sequering that the treasures of the sea bottom are going to be shared globally are undermined and sabbotaged by big players such a USA.
Giving the (what I considered previously to opening this book to be a current and new) global interest into the depths of the ocean due to either the running discussions regarding deep sea mining ongoing and forecasted projects or the unfortunate accident from several weeks ago of the commercial submersile which imploded at roughly 500 meters below water surface, this book is discussing why and how humanity managed to get more interested in mapping others planets and the moon space rather than the vast majority of the surface of our own living space.
The author touches upon many interesting questions such as why the first time the deepest point of each of the five oceans has been mapped was only now when Victor Vescovo (which is a Dallas-based private equity millionaire which also summited the highest mountains on all seven continents and skiied to both poles in addition to owning and piloting a helicopter) decided to crawled in the deepest points of the planet. Not to mention the very unflatering rivalry provoqued to James Cameron which was the holder of the solo deepest descent (after the duo from 1960s) and which put into question the scientific work of a team with specialized ocean mappers just to hold his title!!!
Another interesting chapter is dedicated to the Canadian coastline unmapped yet and with very little government interest in even starting doing so, since the “only” winners for the moment would be the local indigenous communities which are basicaly living off the ocean. There the author explains how the continuos changes in the sea water are leading to fatal accidents.
The book describes the efforts poored currently into Seabed 2030 - a project that started some years ago with the aim of finishing the mapping of the seabed (surprisiny only 15% of the ocean sea bottom was previously mapped and NOT a good resolution). The author also explains why and how the world ended having ocean maps from satelites, which together with the stories of the discovery and acceptance of the marine ridges theory make such an interesting reading into understanding the overall picture of the race to map the ocean bottom. Which might have been already mapped by the different inteligence and military national services of some particular countries.
I found the book extremely addictive and informative - lots of new details and stories well documented.
What the author does extremely well is not taking any declaration as a self-staying info, she questions the reasons, the pathways and the results of the past and current movements on the deep sea field.
And most of all, she asks the key question: why? To what end? And than what?!?
I found enlighthing the chapters on the already started and failed deep sea mining project, the narrative private companies are delivering to all listening audiences about how deep sea mining must happen in order to fight climate change but that just in order to get licences all over the world (since no attempts to really quantify these operations and their effects are currently taken), how intergovernmental efforts and treaties into sequering that the treasures of the sea bottom are going to be shared globally are undermined and sabbotaged by big players such a USA.
December 11, 2023
***.5
A generally well-written account of an interesting subject that tends to get very little attention.
The book starts with a thrilling description of the attempt by a rich white dude to dive to the deepest part of the world's 5 oceans in a single year. In order to be sure that he was actually in the deepest place, he needed accurate maps of the areas, which didn't exist. So he bought a cutting edge sonar system and hired a young mapper to run it. Which turns out not to be a trivial task in the slightest.
We then turn to other areas in the world, and historical efforts to map the seafloor, along with the competing interests in completing, hindering, or obscuring the work. The scientific and military applications are obvious, as are the oil companies involvement, but there are also geopolitical ramifications concerning national borders, shipping lanes, archeology, tsunami warning systems, and other considerations. With global warming induced sea level rise and icecap/glaciers melting, the stakes are higher than ever to obtain accurate data and update maps and charts.
The weakest part was the author's trip to Florida, which sounded more like an account of her summer vacation, complete with multiple descriptions of the beers she drank. Most irksome was her flawed description of scuba diving. She used incorrect terminology for just about every piece of equipment (goggles instead of mask, flippers instead of fins, oxygen tank instead of air tank, etc.). While most non-divers likely wouldn't notice, this sloppiness raises questions about how thorough and accurate the rest of the science and technology is described throughout the book. She also engages in anti-shark rhetoric, describing Florida as the state with the highest number of shark attacks, ignoring the reality that states like Montana and Michigan have relatively few sharks (while Florida has the largest coastline and most swimmers on the East coast), and that scuba divers consider it good luck and a privilege to encounter sharks during a dive. Despite her stated fear, in all of 2022 there were only 57 unprovoked shark attacks in the entire world (16 in Florida), with scuba divers account for less than 4% of all shark attacks, and shark attacks are responsible for only 3% of scuba diving fatalities. Such sensationalist fear-mongering is extremely dangerous to sharks, which are slaughtered by the tens of millions each year.
The author's approach to conservation seems to political more than anything else. She rightly condemns Japan for its whaling, yet celebrates the Inuit whale hunt. She opposes deep sea mining partly because it disrupts the local fisherman's ability to catch fish, as if that doesn't also make the fish equally dead.
In another rather bizarre digression, she goes off on a diatribe against NASA and space exploration in general, as if the Earth's oceans were in direct competition with the entire universe. It's one thing to argue that we should pay more attention to the dark deeps, and quite another to turn that on its head and argue that we shouldn't care about the dark above.
Overall, the book is best when it sticks to the main topic, and on much less solid ground when it meanders into marginally related topics and the author's disagreeable opinions.
A generally well-written account of an interesting subject that tends to get very little attention.
The book starts with a thrilling description of the attempt by a rich white dude to dive to the deepest part of the world's 5 oceans in a single year. In order to be sure that he was actually in the deepest place, he needed accurate maps of the areas, which didn't exist. So he bought a cutting edge sonar system and hired a young mapper to run it. Which turns out not to be a trivial task in the slightest.
We then turn to other areas in the world, and historical efforts to map the seafloor, along with the competing interests in completing, hindering, or obscuring the work. The scientific and military applications are obvious, as are the oil companies involvement, but there are also geopolitical ramifications concerning national borders, shipping lanes, archeology, tsunami warning systems, and other considerations. With global warming induced sea level rise and icecap/glaciers melting, the stakes are higher than ever to obtain accurate data and update maps and charts.
The weakest part was the author's trip to Florida, which sounded more like an account of her summer vacation, complete with multiple descriptions of the beers she drank. Most irksome was her flawed description of scuba diving. She used incorrect terminology for just about every piece of equipment (goggles instead of mask, flippers instead of fins, oxygen tank instead of air tank, etc.). While most non-divers likely wouldn't notice, this sloppiness raises questions about how thorough and accurate the rest of the science and technology is described throughout the book. She also engages in anti-shark rhetoric, describing Florida as the state with the highest number of shark attacks, ignoring the reality that states like Montana and Michigan have relatively few sharks (while Florida has the largest coastline and most swimmers on the East coast), and that scuba divers consider it good luck and a privilege to encounter sharks during a dive. Despite her stated fear, in all of 2022 there were only 57 unprovoked shark attacks in the entire world (16 in Florida), with scuba divers account for less than 4% of all shark attacks, and shark attacks are responsible for only 3% of scuba diving fatalities. Such sensationalist fear-mongering is extremely dangerous to sharks, which are slaughtered by the tens of millions each year.
The author's approach to conservation seems to political more than anything else. She rightly condemns Japan for its whaling, yet celebrates the Inuit whale hunt. She opposes deep sea mining partly because it disrupts the local fisherman's ability to catch fish, as if that doesn't also make the fish equally dead.
In another rather bizarre digression, she goes off on a diatribe against NASA and space exploration in general, as if the Earth's oceans were in direct competition with the entire universe. It's one thing to argue that we should pay more attention to the dark deeps, and quite another to turn that on its head and argue that we shouldn't care about the dark above.
Overall, the book is best when it sticks to the main topic, and on much less solid ground when it meanders into marginally related topics and the author's disagreeable opinions.
July 1, 2024
Interesting And Comprehensive Examination Marred By Leftist Ideology. If you can overlook (or if you like) the *frequent* bigotries against "males", "white males", and/ or "rich white males" and if you agree with Greta Thunberg re: "Climate" "Change" (or whatever the hell they're calling it now as you read this review), you're going to love this book. The star deduction comes specifically because of such slanted "reporting". (I read the Audible version of this book and thus can't comment on the length of its bibliography one way or another.)
If the above doesn't apply to you, you should read this book anyway.
Because when it stays on subject about the efforts to map the seas and specifically the deepest parts of them, both cutting edge and throughout history, this book actually is quite good. Tretheway manages to show both the necessity of the effort and just how dangerous it can be in both academic and very real senses, along with all of the problems associated with having the data or not as well as gathering the data in the first place. Along the way we're going to encounter quite a few legendary people, some truly globally famous even well outside their exploratory regions, others famous only within very narrow, sometimes quite niche, fields - but famous nonetheless. She manages to make the reader care about both the historic exploration and the current efforts, up to and including even using AI drones to get data humans otherwise can't easily obtain. And all of this is quite remarkable indeed.
It is simply a shame that she had to integrate so much bigotry into this reporting - it truly could have been a truly remarkable work otherwise. And yet, the tale as written is still strong enough even with the integrated bigotry to still warrant a read by truly everyone remotely interested in the oceans for any reason.
Recommended.
If the above doesn't apply to you, you should read this book anyway.
Because when it stays on subject about the efforts to map the seas and specifically the deepest parts of them, both cutting edge and throughout history, this book actually is quite good. Tretheway manages to show both the necessity of the effort and just how dangerous it can be in both academic and very real senses, along with all of the problems associated with having the data or not as well as gathering the data in the first place. Along the way we're going to encounter quite a few legendary people, some truly globally famous even well outside their exploratory regions, others famous only within very narrow, sometimes quite niche, fields - but famous nonetheless. She manages to make the reader care about both the historic exploration and the current efforts, up to and including even using AI drones to get data humans otherwise can't easily obtain. And all of this is quite remarkable indeed.
It is simply a shame that she had to integrate so much bigotry into this reporting - it truly could have been a truly remarkable work otherwise. And yet, the tale as written is still strong enough even with the integrated bigotry to still warrant a read by truly everyone remotely interested in the oceans for any reason.
Recommended.
August 18, 2023
Much like happenstance or accidental discoveries made while mapping the oceans bottom, so was this book as I scoured the bookstore for new releases. A quite readable, long awaited (for me at least) exploration to the truest depths of our oceans to the problematic and complex (and often dramatic) mapping of its deepness.
Although most eyes are turned upwards these days with Space X and Blue Origin, the somber truth is that high tech companies are salivating at any hint of unexplored geological deposits to be discovered and excavated down below. Whether mapped by desires to be the 'first' to reach these crazy depths, or military shenanigans stealing underwater secrets, our oceans still remain largely unseen. Laura takes you literally around the world, rocking and rolling along the way highlighting greedy and highfalutin promises made to unsuspecting nations, to the devastating climatic changes occurring and the effects on our underworld, with a worthy lesson in history along the way.
Her wish, if not thwarted by paranoid governments, would be the coordinated release of sovereign underwater topography, together with science to not miss out uncovering our past and protect what is truly mankinds and to offer solutions to our future. An excellent and fun read!
Although most eyes are turned upwards these days with Space X and Blue Origin, the somber truth is that high tech companies are salivating at any hint of unexplored geological deposits to be discovered and excavated down below. Whether mapped by desires to be the 'first' to reach these crazy depths, or military shenanigans stealing underwater secrets, our oceans still remain largely unseen. Laura takes you literally around the world, rocking and rolling along the way highlighting greedy and highfalutin promises made to unsuspecting nations, to the devastating climatic changes occurring and the effects on our underworld, with a worthy lesson in history along the way.
Her wish, if not thwarted by paranoid governments, would be the coordinated release of sovereign underwater topography, together with science to not miss out uncovering our past and protect what is truly mankinds and to offer solutions to our future. An excellent and fun read!
August 7, 2023
I’ve heard it said that we know more about the moon than we do about what’s at the bottom of our oceans, but I had no idea how little we actually do know. Most of the land on Earth has been mapped. Only a fraction of the seafloor has been. A few years, after having reached the highest peak on each continent plus the north and south poles, a billionaire decided that his next achievement should be to reach the deepest spot in each of the five oceans. Just one catch - no one knew where those deepest spots were. So he bought a ship and the latest thing in sonar, and hired a team of scientists to find out. Rich adventurers aren’t the only ones interested in what the ocean floor looks like. Fishing vessels, marine biologists, politicians, cargo ships, deep-sea mining companies, archaeologists, and more. Some want to profit from the seafloor. Some want to protect it. Some just don’t want to run aground. Some want the details kept secret to give themselves an advantage; some believe that the information should be shared with all. I found it interesting to read about the different perspectives, and the work underway to map the ocean floor in this very readable book.
January 15, 2024
This was a thought provoking book about the deep sea, and various efforts to chart them, along with what those efforts could lead to.
Trethewey did a good job of trying to cover different sides of things: historical mapping, current mappers, and potential future mapping through AUVs, along with views of mapping from both the rich (explorers, miners, etc.) and underserved (developing countries, native populations, etc.). The book was readable and easy to follow, and helped show why this race is so high stakes.
I did have one pet peeve, which was harping on ocean research versus space research, and how space research gets so much more funding and interest. This is true, without doubt, and her overall discussion of the difference in the two was good. But don't harp on NASA's "generous" budget. It isn't. Compared to general funding in the US it is miniscule. It is much larger than that for NOAA and such, but the harping on that difference without pointing out that US government investment in science and research of any kind is a joke does a little disservice to the point she was trying to make.
Trethewey did a good job of trying to cover different sides of things: historical mapping, current mappers, and potential future mapping through AUVs, along with views of mapping from both the rich (explorers, miners, etc.) and underserved (developing countries, native populations, etc.). The book was readable and easy to follow, and helped show why this race is so high stakes.
I did have one pet peeve, which was harping on ocean research versus space research, and how space research gets so much more funding and interest. This is true, without doubt, and her overall discussion of the difference in the two was good. But don't harp on NASA's "generous" budget. It isn't. Compared to general funding in the US it is miniscule. It is much larger than that for NOAA and such, but the harping on that difference without pointing out that US government investment in science and research of any kind is a joke does a little disservice to the point she was trying to make.
November 1, 2024
When I read a book that is written by a non-scientist about a scientific subject that I know something about, more often than not I am disappointed and frustrated by the things that they get partially, and sometimes terribly, wrong. That was not the case with The Deepest Map. As an oceanographer who spent my career working for one of the premier bathymetric mapping organizations in the world, I was impressed by how well Laura Trethewey understands and communicates this highly technical subject. Trethewey also does a wonderful job making the story of the race to map the world's oceans, and the people who began this venture and are striving to complete it, as well as the amazing tools they are using to do it more precisely and effectively, an exciting tale—other less talented authors could have easily made it a dry narrative suitable as a soporific. She even managed to teach me a few things that I didn't know. I highly recommend The Deepest Map for anyone interested in earth science, technology, or the politics and economics of the world's oceans and seas from the coastal margins to the deepest trenches.
November 30, 2024
Threadbare and a waste of time, but the fault with the book is it should never have been written due to lack of content.
Thretheway attaches herself to a young ocean cartographer recently out of college and they jump aboard a ship bound to chart the ocean floor. It sounds like quite the adventure, except… nothing much happens. So instead of narrative we’re hit in the face with a shatter shot of loose gripes. About gender and money and the military and ppl preferring space. Rich, white (physically able) men are everywhere and “wouldn’t it be nice if there was more diversity…” ideally it would. But it wouldn’t make describing sonar maps in a book any more exciting.
Further padding comes from cliches about ‘the depths’: ‘Ppl associate underwater with the underworld’ ‘The abyss stares back at us’ ‘More of the moon has been charted than the ocean floor’ ‘The ocean floor is a great uncharted world’ ’Underwater animals are like aliens’ (without describing any sea life w don’t already know). In the end I felt much like the young cartographer who, at the end of her journey had a breakdown from exhaustion and moved home to recover.
Thretheway attaches herself to a young ocean cartographer recently out of college and they jump aboard a ship bound to chart the ocean floor. It sounds like quite the adventure, except… nothing much happens. So instead of narrative we’re hit in the face with a shatter shot of loose gripes. About gender and money and the military and ppl preferring space. Rich, white (physically able) men are everywhere and “wouldn’t it be nice if there was more diversity…” ideally it would. But it wouldn’t make describing sonar maps in a book any more exciting.
Further padding comes from cliches about ‘the depths’: ‘Ppl associate underwater with the underworld’ ‘The abyss stares back at us’ ‘More of the moon has been charted than the ocean floor’ ‘The ocean floor is a great uncharted world’ ’Underwater animals are like aliens’ (without describing any sea life w don’t already know). In the end I felt much like the young cartographer who, at the end of her journey had a breakdown from exhaustion and moved home to recover.
August 7, 2025
This is a fascinating account of a modern account to map one of the Earth's last great frontiers - the ocean floor.
The book follows newbie ocean mapper Cassie Bongionvanni on her first job out of college: mapping the five deepest points of the Earth aboard a a millionaire veteran adventurers vessel. Along the way, we learn about the historical origins behind ocean mapping, the technological challenges of such an endeavour, why it matters, and why public interest in ocean exploration had dropped off dramatically.
I do wish that the author had connected the overall thesis back to the Five Deeps Project. It would have helped when reading long dry chapters on ocean naming conventions and geopolitics. I sometimes forgot what the point was and having a bit more of a narrative quality would have helped.
Overall though, a good read and a fascinating adventure. The author clearly knows her stuff
The book follows newbie ocean mapper Cassie Bongionvanni on her first job out of college: mapping the five deepest points of the Earth aboard a a millionaire veteran adventurers vessel. Along the way, we learn about the historical origins behind ocean mapping, the technological challenges of such an endeavour, why it matters, and why public interest in ocean exploration had dropped off dramatically.
I do wish that the author had connected the overall thesis back to the Five Deeps Project. It would have helped when reading long dry chapters on ocean naming conventions and geopolitics. I sometimes forgot what the point was and having a bit more of a narrative quality would have helped.
Overall though, a good read and a fascinating adventure. The author clearly knows her stuff
February 10, 2024
I love geography and oceanography and this was one of the best books I’ve ever read on it, and, one of my new favourite books. It chronicles the history of sea and deep sea mapping, intertwined with a billionaires journey to dive to the 5 deepest points in the ocean. The theory and science of ocean mapping was explained so easily and was understandable. I particularly liked the exploration of why we have only mapped a quarter of the ocean floor and 1% of the deep sea, but billions of dollars are being poured into space exploration.
Ocean maps uncover submerged human history and empower small communities living ing uncharted coastlines; they open up new questions that never dreamed of asking.
Ocean maps uncover submerged human history and empower small communities living ing uncharted coastlines; they open up new questions that never dreamed of asking.
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