Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa shared his experience on expeditions to depths of over 8,000 meters and the latest advances in the study of extreme ecosystems.
As part of the Benthic Fisheries Monitoring Project, a keynote address was given by Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa Quijada, professor at the University of Concepción and director of the Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), at the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) in Talcahuano. The event was organized by senior researcher Nancy Barahona Toledo and Regional Director Sergio Flores Claramunt.
The researcher, renowned for his manned descents to the Atacama Trench—one of the deepest and least explored areas on the planet—presented the main milestones of his scientific expeditions, including his participation in the joint China-Chile JCATE 2026 mission.
During this latest expedition, led by the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the IMO, Dr. Ulloa descended to a depth of more than 8,000 meters off the Mejillones Peninsula, reaching one of the most extreme points in the ocean.
In his presentation, he detailed the technical and human challenges involved in this type of exploration, from prior training to the operation of the submersibles, as well as sample collection and the performance of experiments in high-pressure environments. Through audiovisual recordings, he also presented some of the species observed at these depths. The area explored stretched from Pisagua to Caldera, encompassing more than 30 dives. The activities carried out there advanced the study of hadal ecosystems, key to understanding life in extreme conditions.
One of the highlights of his career is that Dr. Ulloa is the only person in the world to have descended in both submersibles capable of reaching the greatest ocean depths: the DVS Limiting Factor and the Fendouzhe.
The Regional Director of IFOP Talcahuano, Sergio Flores Claramunt, praised the event, stating that “this presentation brings high-level research of scientific relevance to our institution and its technical teams. He also expressed his gratitude to this distinguished researcher for generously and engagingly sharing his knowledge, as well as to our participating scientific observers.” He concluded by emphasizing that “it was an important and interesting talk.”
