James Cameron - Challenging the Deep

Digital illustration showing winderwater with a tall yellow green submarine with the bow of a ship (Titanic) behind it.

As part of our season of exploration the Australian National Maritime Museum presents
James Cameron – Challenging the Deep

Enter Curious. Exit Inspired.

Immerse yourself in an underwater world in an exhibition that traces explorer and filmmaker James Cameron’s passion for deep ocean science, technology and exploration, including material on his record-breaking dive to the bottom of the planet in the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, the submersible he co-designed and co-engineered.

Experience how James Cameron’s passion for understanding and exploring the ocean has shone a light on one of the most important and least explored parts of the Earth. The exhibition immerses you in an underwater environment using cinema-scale projections, artifacts and specimens from his expeditions. Explore the spectacular and mysterious abyss and discover the shipwrecks of Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. See artifacts from the design and construction of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, which was built to withstand water pressure of 110,000 kPa.

Learn about how technologies pioneered by Cameron for underwater recording, lighting, communication and diving are employed both in his exploration and in his filmmaking. You’ll also see Cameron's underwater director’s helmet from The Abyss, Sam Worthington's Avatar performance capture head-rig, and filming miniatures, hand props and costume from Titanic, including the iconic 'Heart of the Ocean' necklace. Discover the world of a man driven to explore and meet the challenges of the deep.

Two people, a man and a woman point at a ship model which is out of focus in the foreground, with a large projection of underwater maritime archaeology behind them.

Marinco Kojdanovski for ANMM

3 figures in a museum exhibition. There are display cases, blue walls with white technical drawings printed on it, and a framed flag hanging. On the right is a white spherical object.

Marinco Kojdanovski for ANMM

A woman with dark har and clothes looks at a ship's telegraph in a museum display case.

Marinco Kojdanovski for ANMM

3 figures in a dimly lit museum exhibition. 2 women are watching a large screen projection and on the left of them, a man is looking at a microscope with a screen.

Marinco Kojdanovski for ANMM

A man and a woman look at a museum case containing costumes and props from the movie Titanic.

Marinco Kojdanovski for ANMM

A man and a woman in a museum exhibition. To the left the woman watches a large screen with a robot doing underwater maritime archaeology, while on the right, the man looks at a large ship model and objects in display cases..

Marinco Kojdanovski for ANMM

1 - 6

A travelling exhibition produced by the Australian National Maritime Museum in association with the Avatar Alliance Foundation. Supported by the museum's USA Bicentennial Gift Fund.

Developed by

In collaboration with

In conversation with James Cameron

Plunge to the depths of the Earth

Join ocean explorer, filmmaker and technology innovator, James Cameron, veteran of eight pioneering deep-sea expeditions, in conversation about his record-making dive to the deepest point on Earth.

26 January 2025, 6pm
Tickets: $150 + booking fee

An illustration of a squid on a blue patterned background

Ultimate depth - a journey to the bottom of the sea

From the surface to the darkest depths, the ocean has five zones. The lightest is known to most of us. It’s where we swim, fish and play. The deepest is deeper than Mount Everest is high. It’s a mysterious place where very few people have gone.

Ultimate depth - a journey to the bottom of the sea is an invitation to come and explore the five zones. Meet the creatures that live there, and the technologies that help us uncover their secrets.