In 1922, Shackleton died of a heart attack at age 47 while on the Quest, a ship he had outfitted for Arctic exploration.
The Quest sank in 1962 and was discovered in 2024 in an expedition also led by Geiger.
The Terra Nova carried Scott and his crew in their 1910 bid to reach the South Pole.
Scott arrived on January 17, 1912, only to find that Roald Amundsen had beaten him by a month.
>>> 'Ride or Die' Review: Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer Lead a Perimenopausal Action-Comedy
Scott and his entire polar party died on the return journey.
The Terra Nova later sank in 1943.
Expanding the Frontier
Neither ship experienced casualties prior to sinking, so the expedition aimed to inspire a new generation of explorers rather than solve mysteries.
“There’s so little of the ocean that’s mapped,” Geiger said, noting that Canada’s Arctic territorial waters remain largely unmapped.
Marine biologists were excited about the chance to study wildlife around the wrecks and the forces reclaiming the wood hulls.
The crews also observed the effects of deep-sea fishing trawlers, with heavy nets partly covering the wrecks.
Recent advances in submersible technology have expanded exploration frontiers.
Five years ago, the Alvin was approved to extend its depth range from 14,700 feet to 21,300 feet.
“This opens up a lot of new territory for us,” said Alvin pilot Benen ElShakhs.
Geiger emphasized the human role in exploration, saying, “Future expeditions will surely use robots and automated vehicles.
>>> How Yoga Helped Me Embrace My Scoliosis and Find True Alignment
But I don’t think we can ever abandon, when possible, the human role in exploration. Because what is lost is poetry, romance and wonder.”
