For deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong's 120-day expedition, one of China's two female pilot trainees joined the trip to learn from pilot Tang Jialing.
Zhang Yi, a 27-year-old master's degree graduate, told reporters, "I think I will learn a lot from the pilot."
Saturday's dive, one of 20 that is scheduled over the course of the expedition, required Zhang, who was in the role of co-pilot, to oversee communication with the submersible's support ship, operate the camera, and observe obstacles on the left side of the underwater vehicle.
The dive was notable, as the exploration space is a hydrothermal area located in the southwestern Indian Ocean. According to Zhang, the nature of the area means that "topography and environment are very complicated."
The key objective of the expedition is the investigation of polymetallic sulfides, biological diversity, hydrothermal microbes and genetic resources in a particular section of the Indian Ocean.
During Saturday's dive, the submersible team retrieved a collection of samples to offload on land. Chief commander Yu Hongjun listed rocks, sulfide, hydrothermal fluid and living beings as the important samples that were to be found in the hydrothermal area.
Prior to the dive, Zhang piloted Jiaolong in a testing pool in 2014 and, while she reported that "it was very cool," she expected that it will be "more exciting to dive in ocean." The 27-year-old had been eagerly anticipating Saturday's mission "for months."
Alongside Zhang, China recruited a total of six pilot trainees in 2013, two of which are women. A two-year training period must be completed before the trainees can occupy the pilot's seat.