The
Current
NEWPORT BEACH & COSTA MESA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
AN EDITION OF
THURSDAY, NOV. 7, 20 1 3
OCREGISTER.COM/CURRENT
SINKING TO THE
CHALLENGE Siren song of ocean’s deepest point has inspired many. BY TAYLOR HILL • ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER The deep sea submersible created by James Cameron and Ron Allum was designed to descend quickly so Cameron would have as much time as possible to explore the ocean floor.
FILE PHOTOS: PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chris Welsh, left, and Sir Richard Branson sit atop the submarine in March 20 1 1, when they announced plans to dive to the Mariana Trench.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DEEPSEA CHALLENGE
UNDER PRESSURE
STUCK AT THE SURFACE
Bruce Sutphen supervised construction of James Cameron’s record-setting submersible.
Cracked glass has Virgin Oceanic submersible and its launch pad stranded in Newport Harbor.
B
ruce Sutphen was 5,000 miles from his home in San Diego, sweating aboard a 340-foot service ship getting rolled in the Pacific swell. Seven miles below sat a multimillion-dollar submersible that Sutphen had spent the last year working on for film director and underwater adventurer James Cameron, who was set on reaching the deepest part of the sea – the Challenger Deep. It was only a practice test – an “unmanned dive” to see if the apparatus could handle the crushing universe James Cameron prepares for his last visited more than 50 years ago by two dive to the men in a Swiss-designed, Italian-built U.S. ocean’s deepest Navy bathyscaphe named Trieste. Nobody point. had gone back since, until Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge crew ventured out to sea in the spring of 2012.
W
ith members of James Cameron’s successful DeepSea Challenge team coming to speak at Newport Beach’s ExplorOcean museum this week, questions about what has become of billionaire Richard Branson’s delayed deep sea dive attempt have resurfaced – especially in Newport Harbor. A visual reminder still exists: the 125-foot-long, 60-foot-wide catamaran moored just west of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club where Branson and his partner Chris Welsh wrangled the national media’s attention in March 2011, announcing their intent Branson, left, and Welsh speak to dive to the five deepest points of the ocean at the Newport in a one-man “flying submersible.” Harbor Yacht The boat, easily identifiable by its bright Club in 20 1 1. white hull and Virgin and Google decals, was supposed to be utilized as the launching base for the deep-sea submersible, carrying it on a world
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SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Estancia students start feminist club Group formed to help school’s teens change perceptions, student says. BY RYAH COOLEY ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Estancia High School senior Eva Charidas thought it was about time to raise awareness among her peers that “it’s OK to be a woman and be strong and independent.” So, along with fellow senior Emily Flores, she started the new Feminists United Club of Estancia High School, one of the only such groups at local high schools. The club, which has about 20 members, including a handful of boys, meets on Mondays during lunch to discuss topics that are rele-
vant to teens. Jane Hubbard, a junior at Estancia and student board member for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, said that the club was necessary to help girls on campus change their perception of themselves. “Being a girl on campus, I feel like a lot of girls view themselves a lot lower than they should, so it’s a good wake-up call,” Hubbard said. In addition to meetings, they also plan on hosting after school events, like movie nights featuring films S E E C L U B ● PA G E 6
INSIDE TODAY’S CURRENT TEEN PHILANTHROPIST HONORED Friday Night Club founder Natalie Cernius of Newport Harbor is outstanding youth honoree. SEE STORY ON PAGE 6
SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
BUILDING FOR LOVE
MAKING A SPLASH
Costa Mesa man’s nonprofit remodels a room for local girl with leukemia.
OCC water polo setting sights on state tournament. SEE STORY
SEE STORY ON PAGE 7
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Costa Mesa supports Back Bay-area annexation Council discusses charging problem motels for police services, approves code change aimed at group homes. A proposal to annex a homes on the east side, 14-acre unincorporated is- near the Back Bay. The city land sandwiched between plans to annex the area, but Costa Mesa and Newport residents asked the council Beach was among several Tuesday to delay that process by six months issues tackled so they could gathTuesday by the er more details Costa Mesa City about a developCouncil. Also ader’s plans for a vadressed were meacant lot and how sures related to sothe city could called problem moweigh in on John tels and at group ANTONIE Airport homes such as so- BOESSENKOOL Wayne noise issues on beber living homes. REGISTER WRITER half of the resiThe council dents. heard from resiIn the end, the council dedents in the unincorporated area known as the Santa cided unanimously to start Ana/Colleen Island, an area of primarily single-family S E E C O U N C I L ● PA G E 3