China will send a manned submersible on an ultradeep dive beneath the Pacific, potentially propelling it past the US in the race to explore deep water mineral resources, the Wall Street Journal reported. The submersible, called the Jiaolong after a mythical sea-dragon, left China on board an oceanographic research ship on July 1, and has arrived at its destination in the northeastern Pacific, between Hawaii and North America. The craft will attempt a dive to 5,000 meters, or about 16,400 feet, as soon as sea conditions are agreeable, according to state media reports. Underseas exploration was previously dominated by the US, which in 1960 sent two men to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, 11,033 meters below sea level. While commercial interest in exploration waned in the 1980s and 1990s, the current global commodities race is once again stimulating enthusiasm for underseas exploration.