On Sunday, China's manned submersible Jiaolong conducted its first dive in the Yap Trench¹ of the year.

 

上周日，中国载人潜水器蛟龙号今年首次在雅浦海沟进行潜水。

 

Jiaolong began diving at 8:43 a.m. local time on a rainy day, reaching a depth of 4,177 meters.

 

Jiaolong was not afraid of the bad weather, but the rain did make it a bit more difficult for the dive, said Wang Xiangxin, a staff member on board.

 

"We cannot hear each other clearly due to the rain, so we have to be extra careful during the operation," Wang told Xinhua.

 

There will be five dives for Jiaolong in the Yap Trench, and the last dive is planned for June 12.

 

The dives will focus on research in deep-sea biotic communities and gene² resources, according to scientists on the ship.

 

Jiaolong completed a series of dives in the Mariana Trench on June 1 and was transferred aboard Xiangyanghong to the Yap Trench afterward³.

 

The Mariana and Yap trenches⁴ are located in the west Pacific Ocean. The Yap Trench has a depth of 8,527 meters, and the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point of Earth's oceans, has a depth of 11,034 meters.

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