NEXT EVENT: SUPERIOR MAXIMUS (Deepest Spot in the Great Lakes)
DATE: JUNE 6-9, 2026 @ 13:00 EDT (exact date subject to weather)
Descending Into Superior Maximus
Melnick at ROV Controls
Although the Great Lakes form the largest freshwater system on Earth, their deepest waters remain more mysterious than many parts of the oceans.
Now, a new expedition is heading into that unknown.
More than 55 km (34 miles) offshore and over 400 meters (1,300 feet) beneath the surface of Lake Superior lies “Superior Maximus” — the deepest point in the largest freshwater lake on Earth by surface area. No sunlight reaches this extreme environment, where pressure is more than 40 times greater than at the surface.
Forty-one years ago, scientists descended here in a submersible. Since then, the depths have remained virtually unexplored.
Today, filmmakers and Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick are returning to Superior Maximus using a cutting-edge Boxfish Robotics Luna ROV equipped with a fiber-optic tether and high-resolution imaging systems — documenting this hidden world in unprecedented detail for the upcoming documentary Hidden Below: The Great Lakes.
And audiences will experience the expedition’s most challenging moment LIVE: the first descent to the deepest point in the Great Lakes.
Some of the scenes and creatures that may await the explorers at Superior Maximus.
Drebert and Melnick Pilot Boat
The team will search for extraordinary deepwater life: alien-looking deepwater sculpin, forests of colorful hydra, mysis shrimp, and the legendary siscowet lake trout — giant trout specially adapted to survive in cold, lightless depths. They also hope to encounter one of the rarest fish in the Great Lakes: the kiyi, a deepwater cisco now found only in Lake Superior and never photographed alive in its natural habitat.
But in this little-known environment, the greatest discoveries may be the ones nobody expects.
Shawn Sitar with Lake Trout
Joining the expedition is Shawn Sitar, fisheries research biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Sitar has been investigating the appearance of mysterious “zombie fish” — emaciated siscowet lake trout increasingly found across Lake Superior. Many originate from the deepest waters, and scientists hope this expedition could provide new clues about what is happening in the lake’s unexplored depths.
The live dive to Superior Maximus is presented in partnership with Detroit PBS and Great Lakes Now. During the livestream, Drebert, Melnick, and Sitar will answer audience questions in real time.
The dive is planned for a weather window between June 6–9. Exact timing will be announced shortly before launch, as conditions on Lake Superior can change rapidly. Follow Hidden Below: The Great Lakes or Great Lakes Now on social media for updates, or visit Canadian Geographic’s special real-time coverage of the expedition.
About Hidden Below LIVE
Hidden Below: The Great Lakes is a wildlife documentary that will premiere in 2028, but you don’t have to wait. With Hidden Below: LIVE, you can join the team through exciting livestream dives to some of the lake’s most amazing places. Each livestream combines cinema-grade underwater robotics with real-time commentary from expert guests. Explore alongside Yvonne and Zach and have your questions about the mysteries of the deep answered in real time. Hidden Below LIVE is brought to you by Great Lakes Now/ PBS Detroit, and all of the amazing Hidden Below partners! 
Previous Hidden Below LIVE Events
Weren’t able to tune in live? See below for recordings of all the Hidden Below LIVE expeditions.
Fish City. April 22, 2026. The Great Lakes are not an untouched wilderness, but an aquatic ecosystem intertwined with human activities. Among the largest intersections of humans and nature occurs at the Bruce Power Generating Station on Lake Huron, the largest nuclear power plant in North America. The plant warms the cold lake waters, attracting fish and modifying their habitat. We dive into these warmers waters to meet several species drawn to the plant, including many that are difficult to see elsewhere, like the bigmouth buffalo, the gizzard shad and freshwater drum, along with well-known species such as smallmouth bass and common carp.
The Freshwater Everest. On September 14th, 2025, the Zach and Yvonne did a livestream from the “Freshwater Everest” aka “Superior Shoal”, a submerged mountain range that also happens to be one of the most remote freshwater sites on Earth. They explored volcanic rock formations, underwater canyons, rare redfin lake trout – including some spawning activity, deepwater sculpin, and a mysterious piece of wood!
Our Partners In Freshwater Life Support
