2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration
Dive 03: Shakedown 3
The third dive of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise took place on a seamount just to the west of Palmerston Atoll, starting at a depth of approximately 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). The dive once again focused on shaking down remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems, providing an opportunity for ROV pilots to use the sampling equipment and test various views from the cameras. Throughout much of the dive, the seafloor was a veritable “fossil graveyard,” covered with pteropod shells and coral fragments. While biology wasn’t abundant, we did spot a few fish, anemones, corals, and other invertebrates. Four geological samples were collected during the dive, as were five water samples.
This cerianthid or tube anemone was imaged during Dive 03 of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise. Tube anemones have an elongated body and two crowns of non-branched tentacles. They are known for the ability to make a quick retreat, rapidly retracting their entire bodies into their tubes when alarmed. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration. Download largest version (jpg, 714 KB).
For much of Dive 03 of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise, the seafloor was covered with pteropod shells. Pteropods are free-swimming sea snails that live in the water. When they die, their calcium carbonate shells fall to the seafloor. In this image, not only are the shiny white shells visible, but if you look really closely, you can spot a crab, camouflage but not invisible to the keen eyes of video engineer Caitlin Bailey! Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration. Download largest version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
Rough terrain greeted the remotely operated vehicle at the start of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration. Download largest version (jpg, 884 KB).
This sea pen was seen during Dive 03 of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise. Sea pens are colonial octocorals adapted to live in soft sediments using a root called a peduncle to penetrate sediment and keep the sea pen in place. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration. Download largest version (jpg, 1 MB).