China takes lead in underwater exploration

In the 1930s, 18-year-old Austrian biology student Hans Hass went diving off the southern coast of France for the first time.

Some 80 years later, the legendary diving pioneer remains an inspiration for underwater adventurers, most recently the Chinese.

The Jiaolong submersible won the 2014 Hans Hass Fifty Fathoms Award in Sanya, Hainan province, in June. The award is jointly given by the Historical Diving Society Hans Hass Award Committee and Swiss watchmaker Blancpain.