NOAA Ocean Exploration 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, NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead and support expeditions and fieldwork in the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Lake Michigan.

Read on to learn more about what we have planned for this year and check back often as we add summaries highlighting major accomplishments and other content from each project.

Dates are subject to change.

Legend
 

NOAA Ocean Exploration conducts ocean exploration expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, the only federal vessel dedicated to exploring our largely unknown ocean for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge about the deep ocean.

 

NOAA Ocean Exploration provides support to the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute to explore, map, and characterize the nation’s vast ocean territory, to develop and implement new technologies, and to engage future generations of ocean scientists, engineers, and stakeholders.

 

NOAA Ocean Exploration manages an ocean exploration competitive grant program to catalyze the ocean exploration community and advance ocean knowledge and collaborates with other NOAA labs and programs to jointly explore the unknown ocean.

 

NOAA Ocean Exploration provides support for projects as directed by Congress.

This expedition is expected to feature live video of remotely operated vehicle dives via telepresence technology.

Expeditions and fieldwork led or supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration in 2026 are described below; click on a title to expand the text and learn more.

A long, cylindrical autonomous profiling float, labeled
The Seatrec infiniTE float with directional acoustic sensor prior to deployment during the project’s year one fieldwork. Image courtesy of Autonomous, Directional Acoustic Profiling Float for Soundscape Characterization. Download largest version (jpg, 3.6 MB).

February 23-March 10, 2026 (Second year of fieldwork)

Principal Investigator: Kaustubha Raghukumar, Integral Consulting Inc.

To advance deepwater soundscape exploration, this team of scientists and engineers is developing the first ever autonomous, near-real-time, directional acoustic profiling float powered by marine renewable energy (ocean thermal energy conversion, OTEC). During this second year of fieldwork, they will demonstrate their float during a two-week mission off the coast of Hawai‘i. Also as part of this project, the team will develop soundscape analysis tools to provide insights into acoustic events of interest recorded by the float.

Learn more about this project.
A large NOAA research ship docked at a pier with a blue sky and clouds above
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer at the dock in Hilo, Hawai‘i, before the Beyond the Blue: Johnston Atoll Mapping 2 expedition. Image courtesy of Art Howard, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, Beyond the Blue: Johnston Atoll Mapping. Download largest version (jpg, 2.3 MB).

April 29-May 6, 2026

Following a dry-dock period in Ketchikan, Alaska, 2026 field operations on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will begin with an expedition off Hawai‘i to test and integrate the mapping systems used during ship operations. This will include calibrating the ship’s multibeam and split-beam sonars, collecting backscatter normalization data, testing sonar interference and synchronization, and verifying onboard sound speed profiling equipment. These activities are conducted at the start of each field season to ensure acoustic measurements accurately reflect seafloor depth and character — a foundation for the expeditions that follow.

Learn more about this expedition.
Person wearing a jacket and a helmet while viewing a large robotic device on a ship deck.
Engineers test the lights on remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer in preparation for the Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition. Image courtesy of Olivia Andrus, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, Seascape Alaska. Download largest version (jpg, 2.3 MB).

May 14-June 6, 2026

 Live Video

NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) shakedown expedition off Hawai‘i on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to ensure readiness for the 2026 field season. During this expedition, team members from the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute will conduct rigorous tests to make sure ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios are working as expected and that all the systems can effectively communicate with each other. Testing and integration activities will ensure that collected data are of the highest quality. ROV dives will be streamed live online, but the initial focus of the dives will be on engineering, testing, and pilot training and practice. As time and engineering progress allows, we hope to also explore seamounts, deep-sea coral habitats, abyssal habitats, and maritime heritage sites.

Exploration Vessel Nautilus cruises through the blue ocean.
Exploration Vessel Nautilus. Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust. Download largest version (jpg, 931 KB).

May 27-June 6, 2026

NOAA Ocean Exploration supports Ocean Exploration Trust’s operations on Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute to collaboratively advance marine technologies and reduce uncertainties in critical parts of our largely unexplored deep ocean. This shakedown expedition offshore of the main Hawaiian Islands will ensure the ship’s systems are ready for the 2026 field season.

Learn more about the 2026 field season on E/V Nautilus.
A graphic of Exploration Vessel Nautilus using multibeam sonar to map the seafloor.
Illustration of Exploration Vessel Nautilus using multibeam sonar to map the seafloor. Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust. Download largest version (jpg, 112 KB).

June 10-24, 2026

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus will fill seafloor mapping gaps while transiting between Hawai‘i and Guam to support subsequent expeditions to explore deep-sea habitats offshore of the Mariana Islands. NOAA Ocean Exploration supports expeditions on E/V Nautilus via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.

Learn more about this expedition.
Ship’s bow on open ocean beneath a sunrise-lit sky with dramatic clouds.
Sunrise over the bow of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in the Gulf of Alaska during the Seascape Alaska 1: Aleutians Deepwater Mapping expedition. Image courtesy of Sam Cuellar, NOAA Ocean Exploration. Download largest version (png, 1.1 MB).

June 16-July 10, 2026

After completing shakedown operations off Hawai‘i, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will transit from Honolulu, Hawai‘i, to Rarotonga, Cook Islands. During this transit, the team will use the ship’s suite of sonars to map the seafloor, water column, and sub-seafloor. Targeted mapping; conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) profiler deployments; and environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling are planned in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around Jarvis Island.

Aerial view of the curved Chicago shoreline featuring a concrete seawall, lakeside park, and city buildings under a clear sky.
Lake Michigan’s Chicago shoreline. Image courtesy of Offshore Seismic Mapping and Stratigraphic Assessment, Chicago Coast of Lake Michigan. Download largest version (jpg, 4.2 MB).

Spring/Summer 2026

Principal Investigator: Mitch Barklage, Illinois State Geological Survey

Understanding the geography and composition of the lakebeds of the Great Lakes is important for a variety of reasons, including the siting of offshore infrastructure, the mapping of sand and other resources, and designing coastal resiliency projects. Detailed mapping of the surface and subsurface of the lakebed is needed for informed management of coastal regions. Still, the Great Lakes remain understudied in this regard as available datasets are sparse/limited. To address data needs, this project team will assess lake-bottom geology and the rock layers of the shallow subsurface of southwestern Lake Michigan along the coast of Chicago, Illinois. They will use sonar technologies to study the layers of sediment and the shape of the solid rock beneath them and integrate the data they collect with existing geological data and data products to create geological maps. The resulting products will contribute to the foundational understanding of Lake Michigan’s geologic history, structure, and composition and guide future exploration, including archaeological investigations of potential pre-contact Native American cultural resources at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

The yellow remotely operated vehicle Hercules is lowered by a crane from Exploration Vessel Nautilus into the ocean during a research mission.
Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Hercules being deployed from Exploration Vessel Nautilus. Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust. Download largest version (jpg, 754 KB).

June 28-July 21, 2026

 Live Video

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus will map and explore deep-sea priority areas around the Mariana Islands, one of the most tectonically and volcanically dynamic locations on the planet, focusing on abyssal plain habitats and adjacent seamounts in the southeasternmost portion of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Live video from remotely operated vehicle Hercules will be streamed for public viewing. Autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry will also be used to collect seafloor mapping data and images. NOAA Ocean Exploration supports expeditions on E/V Nautilus via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.

Learn more about this expedition.
The yellow and orange autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry being lowered by a cable into the ocean.
Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry. Image courtesy of DEEP SEARCH 2017, NOAA-OER/BOEM/USGS. Download largest version (jpg, 1 MB).

July 25-August 16, 2026

 Live Video

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus will map and explore deep-sea priority areas around the Mariana Islands, one of the most tectonically and volcanically dynamic locations on the planet, focusing on abyssal plain habitats in the northeasternmost portion of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Live video from remotely operated vehicle Hercules will be streamed for public viewing. Autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry will also be used to collect seafloor mapping data and images. NOAA Ocean Exploration supports expeditions on E/V Nautilus via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. On this expedition, the team will also deploy a high-frequency acoustic recording package from the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center to support cetacean monitoring in the region.

Learn more about this expedition.
Crew members on a NOAA vessel secure a yellow Saab Sabertooth underwater vehicle on the deck.
Recovering the Saab Sabertooth hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle/remotely operated vehicle (AUV/ROV) during the project’s first year of fieldwork. Image courtesy of Exploring Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary at Scale. Download largest version (jpg, 1.7 MB).

July 2026 (second year of fieldwork)

Principal Investigator: Russ Green, Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary

This research team will continue their exploration and documentation of a collection of nationally significant shipwrecks in the deep waters (130-480 feet) of Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. They will conduct their investigations using a hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle/remotely operated vehicle (AUV/ROV) equipped with acoustic, imaging, and laser scanning sensors, and develop new archaeological methods developed to capitalize on the efficiencies of autonomous and uncrewed vehicles.

Learn more about this project.
A small, blue-patterned fish on a sandy seafloor with scattered rocks.
This greeneye fish was observed while exploring a site near the harbor of Pago Pago, American Samoa, at a depth of approximately 460 meters (1,150 feet). Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2017 American Samoa. Download largest version (jpg, 487 KB).

August 19-September 16, 2026

 Live Video

NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and mapping expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to explore deep waters in and around American Samoa. This expedition will include ROV dives to explore the seafloor and water column, mapping operations, and continuous shoreside participation via telepresence technology. Data from this expedition will help improve our understanding of the geological history and deep-sea habitats of American Samoa and provide critical information for the management of marine resources, including critical minerals, in these waters.

The bow of a shipwreck covered with various marine organisms, including anemones and sponges, on the deep ocean floor, viewed from a remotely operated vehicle.
The bow of Amakasu Maru No.1, one of the shipwrecks associated with the Battle of Wake Island, as seen during the Deepwater Wonders of Wake expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in 2016. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Deepwater Wonders of Wake. Download largest version (jpg, 295 KB).

August 20-September 18, 2026

 Live Video

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus will map and explore deep-sea priority areas in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around Wake Island, one of the most isolated land masses on Earth and one of the least explored areas under U.S. jurisdiction. Exploration will focus on science priorities of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and the Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, including abyssal plain habitats, unexplored seamounts, and potential maritime heritage sites associated with the Battle of Wake Island. Live video from remotely operated vehicle Hercules will be streamed for public viewing. NOAA Ocean Exploration supports expeditions on E/V Nautilus via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.

Learn more about this expedition.
Technical diver uses a handheld light to examine a coral reef while two other divers swim in the background.
Closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) technology will allow this research team to access unexplored mesophotic reefs and characterize reef fish communities and habitat of western Puerto Rico. Here, Richard Coleman, the project’s principal investigator, is using CCR technology to survey fish communities on the island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Image courtesy of Richard Pyle. Download largest version (jpg, 268 KB).

August/September 2026

Principal Investigator: Richard R. Coleman, University of Miami

Mesophotic (“middle light”) coral ecosystems provide habitat for an array of vulnerable and ecologically and commercially important fish species. At ocean depths between the brightly lit shallows and the dark deep ocean (30-150 meters/98-492 feet) in tropical and subtropical regions, these ecosystems are difficult to access, meaning they’re relatively unexplored, and our knowledge about the fish that inhabit them is limited. Using advanced deep-diving techniques and data collection methods, this research team will explore the mesophotic coral ecosystems off the western coast of Puerto Rico to better understand these ecosystems and how they are used as habitat by their associated fish communities. Technical divers will conduct complementary stereo-video and visual surveys to document fish occurrence, size, and abundance as well as evidence of marine debris, bleaching, disease, and other threats. They’ll also collect samples of select uncommon, rare, and unknown species for further study and water samples for eDNA analysis. The results of this project will inform the conservation and management of Puerto Rico’s mesophotic coral ecosystems and the fish communities they support and serve as a baseline against which to assess future changes.

A large, white, fan-shaped glass sponge with small yellow crinoids attached to it on the dark seafloor.
A sponge seen in Papahānaumokuākea during an expedition on Exploration Vessel Nautilus in 2022. Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust. Download largest version (jpg, 140 KB).

September 22-October 12, 2026

 Live Video

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus will map and explore deep-sea priority areas in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around the Hawaiian Islands. Exploration will focus on unexplored ridges and seamounts in the eastern portion of Papahānaumokuākea and abyssal plain habitats southwest of the Main Hawaiian Islands. Live video from remotely operated vehicle Hercules will be streamed for public viewing. NOAA Ocean Exploration supports expeditions on E/V Nautilus via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. On this expedition, the team will also deploy a recently developed benthic lander and low-light camera system from the University of Hawai‘i to support deep-sea coral monitoring.

Learn more about this expedition.
A woman working at a computer with multiple screens displaying data and graphics in a dimly lit room.
Explorer-in-Training Cassie Ferrante "cleans" multibeam sonar data collected during a 2022 expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer off Puerto Rico to make sure the data are correct, consistent, and usable. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2022 Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera Demonstration. Download largest version (jpg, 3.58 MB)

September 23-October 18, 2026

NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead a mapping expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, beginning in Suva, Fiji, and ending in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Twenty-four-hour-a-day mapping operations will use the ship’s suite of sonars to map the seafloor, water column, and sub-seafloor, focusing on waters around American Samoa before beginning the transit to Hawai‘i, filling critical gaps in seafloor mapping data along the way.

A white NOAA research vessel with antennas and radar equipment, against a backdrop of silhouetted mountains and a golden sky.
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer docked at Ford Island in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Beyond the Blue 2024. Download largest version (jpg, 3.1 MB).

October 28-November 16, 2026

NOAA Ocean Exploration will conclude 2026 activities on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer with a technology demonstration off Hawai‘i and around Johnston Atoll. During the expedition, NOAA Ocean Exploration, the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, and partners will demonstrate, test, and evaluate emerging and existing technologies, including a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle capable of exploring at significant ocean depths. Technologies will be tested with possible integration into future NOAA operations in mind.

Hydrothermal vent chimney with dark smoke-like plumes rising from a structure covered in tubeworms.
Hydrothermal activity at the Canadian-American Seamount hydrothermal vent field on Axial Seamount in August 2025. Image courtesy of UW/NSF-OOI/WHOI J2-1730; V25. Download largest version (jpg, 2.2 MB).

September 2026 (second year of fieldwork)

Principal Investigator: Guangyu Xu, University of Washington

To advance our knowledge about hydrothermal vents, this research team is developing an innovative approach to identifying, locating, and characterizing hydrothermal discharge. They adapted their proven techniques for using multibeam sonar to characterize hydrothermal vents from a stationary platform for use on uncrewed underwater vehicles. After a successful demonstration in 2025, the team will return to sea to further test their new approach.

Learn more about this project.

Published May 6, 2026