A West Vancouver woman who is one of only three female submarine pilots in the world is heading to Belize for an incredible underwater expedition.
Erika Bergman will be part of a team exploring the mysterious Great Blue Hole – an excursion made possible by made-in-Vancouver technology.
It's a sinkhole in the ocean off the coast of Belize, large enough that it can be seen from the International Space Station.
The hole off the coast of Belize is a popular spot for scuba drivers, but now, a Vancouver company's state-of-the-art submarine will descend into its depths.
"We're taking the opportunity to go and see not only what's at the bottom of the Great Blue Hole but also to map it in insanely high definition sonar, which is really exciting and is only available because of the technology today," Bergman told CTV News.
She'll be at the helm of Aquatica Submarine's Stingray 500 when it descends into the hole.
"I'm a National Geographic explorer and a submarine pilot. I have been for almost 10 years, and my expeditions have taken me all over the world," she said.
"I'm super amped about the Great Blue Hole."
And she won't be going alone. She'll be joined by Fabian Cousteau, grandson of legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and another well-known adventurer.
"When you pitch someone like Sir Richard Branson with an idea so exciting as diving to the bottom of the Great Blue Hole, it was an easy as a phone call," Bergman said.
The expedition will be broadcast live on Discovery Channel on Dec. 2 starting at 1 p.m.
She leaves for Belize Friday morning to begin preparations for the big descent.
"Who knows what we're going to find in there."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson
