James Cameron dives into the Mariana Trench – in pictures

James Cameron gives two thumbs-up as he emerges from the Deepsea Challenger after his successful solo dive in the Mariana Trench Photograph: Mark Thiessen/AP

Cameron with the Deepsea Challenger during the testing of the submarine Photograph: Reuters

The Deepsea Challenger is lowered into the water for testing off the coast of Australia Photograph: Reuters

The Deepsea Challenger submmarine begins its first 2.5-mile test dive off the coast of Papua New Guinea Photograph: Reuters

The Deepsea Challenger is hoisted into the Pacific Ocean Photograph: Reuters

Cameron emerges from the Deepsea Challenger after his successful solo dive Photograph: MARK THIESSEN/AFP/Getty Images

A picture of a deep-chimaera – a boneless fish that is a distant evolutionary relative to modern day sharks – taken by an unmanned submersible in deep water off Indonesia. These are the type of fish that are seen at great depths in the world's oceans and might be the type Cameron could see on the way to the Mariana Trench
Photograph: AP

A photo taken in 2009 by the unmanned submersible Nereus showing the flat bottom of the Mariana Trench Photograph: Tim Shank/AP

A underwater scene from Cameron's 1989 film The Abyss
Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/20th Century Fox

Another still from The Abyss
Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Everett / Rex Features/c.20thC.Fox/Everett /Rex Features

Cameron's 2003 film Ghosts of the Abyss
Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Allstar Collection/Disney

Another shot of Ghosts of the Abyss, in which Cameron ventured under the sea for a 3-D look at the wreck of the Titanic Photograph: film still handout

A film still from Titanic Photograph: Image Net