Hong Kong scientist's encounter with creatures from the deep

Plunging 1,200 metres deep into the South China Sea is nothing like what's shown in nature documentaries on television.

In fact, says Dr Qiu Jianwen, you can barely see anything at all at that depth because the organisms are so tiny.

The associate professor in biology from Baptist University, who is accustomed to working in shallow waters, was one of 14 scientists from across China selected to join the first mission of the Jiaolong - a manned, deep-sea research submarine - in the South China Sea basin.

After two days of training, Qiu joined the research trip from Jiangyin , Jiangsu province, on June 8. He said the highlight of his time on the submarine was diving to a depth of more than 1,200 metres for 7-1/2 hours on June 19.

"As we descended, what I saw was different to what you'd expect from watching National Geographic or IMAX movies," he said. "In the movies, there are many colourful organisms swimming around, but in reality, I could barely see a thing … the largest organism is only as big as a fingernail."

The sea floor was an even bigger surprise. "I was amazed when we got to the cold seep [an area of the ocean floor]. I didn't expect to see so many organisms in such deep waters. I thought this could happen only in shallow waters, with sunlight," he said.