A thousand deep-sea vehicles would still need centuries to map Earth's hidden ocean floor

New analysis of 43,681 dives (1958–2024) estimates the deep seabed (~335.7 million sq km) would require about 115,800 years to visually survey with 1,000 current-rate systems, meaning humans have directly seen less than 0.001% of the deep ocean. Mapping via multibeam sonar (about 28.7% mapped) is not equivalent to visual coverage, and observations are heavily biased toward a few countries and regions. The study advocates a strategic, globally representative sampling approach (Global Deep Sea Exploration Goals) and the use of smaller, longer-endurance vehicles and machine-assisted analysis to improve coverage much sooner, rather than pursuing an exhaustive camera sweep that would outlast civilizations.