Avatar director Cameron set to explore Lake Baikal this weekend

"A definite date for Cameron's dive is not yet set, but the possibility was discussed earlier," a representative of the Buryatia administration said on Thursday.

Representatives of the fund for the preservation of Lake Baikal, which have organized the dives have refused to comment, but confirmed Cameron will visit Baikal on a private visit.

"He asked for his visit not to be highlighted in the media," a source told RIA Novosti.

The Mir submarines are currently operating in the center of the lake, the world's largest freshwater lake. They will be taken on a carrier barge to Livstvyanka on Saturday.

Several politicians and celebrities have made dives to the bottom of the lake, the latest being Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin in August, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last year.

In July, Putin promised a billion rubles for conservation of the lake.