Victor Vescovo

Victor Vescovo uniquely achieved both the Explorers Grand Slam and the Five Deeps Expedition, marking unprecedented milestones in human exploration. Prior to his groundbreaking exploratory endeavors, Vescovo served for two decades in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer, retiring as a Commander in 2013. He also co-founded and served as managing partner of the private equity firm Insight Equity Holdings from 2000 to 2023.

In 2019, he led the first revisit to the RMS Titanic wreck in 15 years, escorting historian Parks Stephenson. He piloted his submersible to the wreck of the French submarine Minerve in 2020. His ongoing efforts identified the deepest shipwrecks ever surveyed, locating the USS Johnston in 2021 and the USS Samuel B. Roberts in 2022.

Expanding his boundaries beyond Earth, Vescovo flew to space on the Blue Origin NS-21 mission in 2022, becoming the first person to have climbed Mount Everest, visited the ocean’s deepest known depth, and traveled to space – a unique ‘Triathlon of Exploration’. For his pioneering contributions, Vescovo has been honored with The Explorers Club Medal (2020), the Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration (2021), and The Historical Diving Society USA – Hans Hass Award (2023). Other accolades include the Ocean Elders Award and the forthcoming 2025 Freedom of the Seas Award from the National Museum of the Surface Navy. Vescovo continues to advocate for safe and responsible exploration, emphasizing adherence to the highest industry standards.