The worlds ‘Global Ocean’ covers over 71% of the earth surface. It is so large that it has been split into 5 individual oceans which are all connected. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean on the planet and stretches for over 41.1 million square miles. This body of water covers nearly 22% of the earth’s surface.

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The Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest ocean out of the 5 and has a salinity between 33-37 parts per thousand. The Atlantic also happens to be the youngest ocean, created long after the Pacific, Artctic and Indian oceans.

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Home to some of the most magnificent marine life and the richest fishing resource, it is also an environment with an abundance of natural gas fields as well as petroleum deposits.

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On average, the overall depth of the Atlantic Ocean is approximately 3,339 metres deep, with the ocean floor being quite flat, except where the 4 deep trenches reside. The Atlantic Ocean has 4 main trenches which are named; Puerto Rico Trench, Romanche Trench, South Sandwich Trench and Laurentian Abyss.

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Puerto Rico Trench

The Puerto Rico trench is located in the North Atlantic and is by far, the deepest trench found in the Atlantic Ocean, reaching depths of 8,605 metres.

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Romanche Trench

Located close to the equator, the Romanche trench reaches depths of around 7,454 metres.

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Laurentian Abyss

Found off the eastern coast of Canada, reaching depths of 6000 metres, these incredible depths are home to hydrothermal vents which have their own sub ecosystem which is independent of light.

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South Sandwich Trench

This is the second largest trench in the Atlantic Ocean and reaches depths of 8,428 metres.

The ocean is an incredible environment, if you would like to learn more about the ocean, take a look at the 50 fascinating facts about the ocean infographic below, created by divein.com, which will leave you shocked at how little we know about the body of water which takes up 72% of our planet.

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Happy diving,

The Blue Water Diving team