Filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron descended 35,756 feet (6.77 miles/10.89 km) to reach the "Challenger Deep," the ocean's deepest point located in the Mariana Trench, in his specially designed submersible DEEPSEA CHALLENGER.

The Deepsea Challenger submersible begins its first 2.5-mile (4-km) test dive off the coast of Papua New Guinea in this handout photo released to Reuters March 25, 2012. The submersible is the centerpiece of the Deepsea Challenge, a joint scientific project by explorer and "Titanic" filmmaker James Cameron, the National Geographic Society and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research. 


Cameron reached the "Challenger Deep," the lowest point of the Mariana Trench, shortly before 8 a.m. local time Monday (6 p.m. EDT on Sunday). The depth was recorded at 35,756 feet (10,898 m). In his specially designed submersible Deepsea Challenger, Cameron plans to spend up to six hours on the Pacific Ocean seafloor, collecting samples for scientific research. REUTERS/National Geographic/Mark Thiessen/Handout