Exploring the ocean for national benefit

NOAA Ocean Exploration is the only federal program dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its potential through scientific discovery, technological advancements, partnerships, data delivery, and education.

Learn About Science & Exploration

Learn About Ocean Exploration

Dive into ocean exploration by exploring materials such as stories, ocean facts, and images and videos, organized by topic for learners of all ages and levels.

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Highlights

Expeditions & Projects
A man sitting in a chair smiles for the camera in front of a row of computer monitors.

A Former Explorer-in-Training Returns to NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

It takes hard work and sometimes a stroke of luck to find your calling in life. My name is Brett Woodworth, and I just completed a month-long mission as a mapping watchstander on NOAA Ocean Exploration’s American Samoa Mapping + Transit expedition. As our journey from Fiji to Hawaiʻi aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer drew to a close, I found myself reflecting about my journey to get here.
A view of the blue ocean from the fantail of a ship.
Expeditions & Projects
Getting Comfortable at Sea
On the bridge of a ship, two NOAA Corps officers in white uniforms look out the front window through which land is visible in the distance, while another two officers stand behind a row of screens and instrumentation.
Expeditions & Projects
2026 Pacific Islands Mapping Expedition Summary

News Updates

Education
NOAA Ocean Exploration and Partners Host Deep-Sea Educator Workshop in American Samoa
Education
NOAA Ocean Exploration Hosts Inaugural Blue Technology Education Workshop
General
New Pathways to Discovery: NOAA Ocean Exploration Publishes Data on Global Databases
Publication
Researchers Identify Dense Coral and Sponge Communities in Deep Alaskan Waters
Opportunity
Call for Input: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer 2027 Proposed Pacific Island Operating Areas
Education
Professional Development Workshop Brings Deep-Sea Science to Palau’s Middle and High School Classrooms

In the Field: 2026

NOAA Ocean Exploration works with partners to explore previously unknown areas of our ocean, making discoveries of scientific, economic, and cultural value and supporting innovations in exploration tools and capabilities. In 2026, we will lead and support expeditions and fieldwork in the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Lake Michigan.

Read About These Expeditions and Projects
Featured 2025 Statistics
339,864 Square Kilometers of Seafloor Mapped
120+ Days at Sea on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
3.2 Million Website Views
600+ Educators Trained
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in port in Honolulu, Hawai‘i,

Status: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer — In Port: Honolulu, Hawai‘i

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is in port in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, following the successful completion of the 2026 American Samoa Mapping + Transit expedition. Our next expedition will take place on October 28-November 16 and will focus on demonstrating, testing, and evaluating emerging and existing technologies such as autonomous underwater vehicles for exploring the ocean.

Personnel in a dimly lit control room monitor several screens displaying underwater video feeds and oceanographic data.

Featured Favorite

The control room is where a lot of the communications take place during an expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Here, scientists in the back row communicate with folks on shore, and the engineers in the front row communicate with the remotely operated vehicles during the Deep Connections 2019 expedition.

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