James Cameron's solo mission to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Earth, was cut short by a leak, the National Geographic has reported.
The film director only spent three hours underwater after a "hydraulic fluid leak" forced him to cut his submarine exploration short.
Cameron reportedly saw "a lot" of hydraulic oil spill from the vessel whilst seven miles below the surface, prompting him to mount a "screaming" return to the surface, in just under 70 minutes.
Reports back from the sea bed suggest Cameron failed to find any living creatures in the "bleak" depths of the ocean.
Cameron was forced to return without the rock and animal samples he had intended to collect on his Mariana Trench dive, after the oil leak stopped the submarine's robotic arm from working.
However Cameron framed his early return in optimistic terms, telling the National Geographic he had to "leave something for the next dive."
The Hollywood director ventured below the surface of the ocean in a specially constructed submarine called "Deepsea Challenger", which Cameron described as "a vertical tornado."
Lights and cameras had been loaded on board the submarine to capture the secret's of one of the Earth's most mysterious places.
Cameron, who directed the blockbuster the Titanic, is expected to release a documentary broadcasting the footage.
Tweeting the historic moment, Cameron wrote that "hitting bottom never felt so good".
A previous mission to the bottom of the Mariana Trench 52 years ago, was unsuccesful in revealing any ocean secrets after the landing of the submersible disturbed silt from the ocean floor, obscuring their view.
However US Navy Lt Don Walsh, who in 1960 completed the same journey with Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard, was waiting at the surface to congratulate Cameron.