This page provides members of the media with information, resources, and multimedia developed in association with the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise.

Importance | Goals | Partners | Explorers | Videos & Images | Background Information | Contacts

In July and August 2026, NOAA Ocean Exploration, the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA), and partners will conduct a cruise on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to explore deep waters of the Cook Islands to advance understanding of seafloor and water column ecosystems in order to support Cook Islands-led decision-making about marine resources.

The 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise will use advanced multibeam sonar systems, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), Argo floats, and other technologies to map, explore, and characterize deepwater habitats. Anyone with an internet connection will be able to follow cruise operations live, tuning in as discoveries are made in real time.

During the cruise, video will be streamed online in real time from July 20-August 11 (subject to change). During dives, we expect to explore the seafloor and water column of seamounts, abyssal plains, and the Manihiki Plateau to document geological features and marine life found in these deep-sea habitats of the Cook Islands.

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Expedition Importance

Comprising 15 islands encircled by approximately 2 million square kilometers (770,000 square miles) of ocean, the Cook Islands is a maritime nation of vastly more water than land.. The depths of these waters are significant; the average depth within the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone reaches 5,000 meters (3.1 miles), and more than half of those waters exceed 2,500 meters (1.6 miles) in depth.

The submerged landscape of the Cook Islands consists of complex topography, spanning from towering seamounts to expansive abyssal plains. These deep-sea features provide critical habitats for a range of marine life and hold an array of resources, yet despite their economic and ecological importance, the vast majority of the deep waters of the Cook Islands remain largely unmapped and unexplored.

Filling data gaps and increasing our understanding of this region has far-reaching benefits, including establishing an understanding of the current ocean environment, increasing understanding of resources to inform Cook Islands-led management decisions, identifying knowledge gaps, and increasing public connection to and awareness of ocean issues.

The cruise is a scientific exploration and mapping activity that supports the Cook Islands’ understanding of its deep ocean. It will help build baseline knowledge of areas that remain difficult to access and not well understood. The cruise does not authorise commercial seabed minerals harvesting and does not replace Cook Islands law, public process, or environmental safeguards.

Four Things to Know About the Expedition

1. We will map, survey, and sample geological features in order to better understand the geological context and seabed resources found at seamounts and abyssal plain habitats of the Cook Islands. The underwater geology of the Cook Islands is defined by ancient seamounts, deep abyssal plains, and expansive plateaus. The majority of these features have not been mapped or explored. Throughout the cruise, we will use the advanced sonar systems on Okeanos Explorer to fill gaps in mapping data, including seafloor, sub-bottom, and water column data. Using our ROVs, we will image, catalog, and collect a limited number of geological samples from seabed features to allow comparisons over a variety of seafloor habitat types. Collected samples and data will help to assess the region’s geological context and enable the Cook Islands to make informed management decisions about its seabed resources.
2. We will image and catalog animals living on and in the seafloor to increase our understanding of biological communities in the deep waters of the Cook Islands. Using our ROVs to collect imagery and a limited number of biological samples, we will inventory animals living on and in the seafloor and water column of abyssal plains and compare those findings with what is observed at seamount, knoll, and plateau features. Collected information will increase our understanding of animal assemblages in areas explored, including what animals are present and how they vary across different features and areas. Data will also help scientists to assess connections between biological productivity on the seafloor and productivity in the overlying water column, to develop a better understanding of the whole ecosystem and the overall role of unique seafloor habitats. A better understanding of the distribution, diversity, reproduction, and resilience of animals in deep waters of the Cook Islands will build a baseline needed to assess future changes in the ocean environment.
3. We will explore the water column to help build an understanding of the physical and biological conditions present in the Cook Islands. During the cruise, we will use the ship’s multibeam sonar and split-beam echosounder to map the water column — the largest, yet one of the most underexplored, habitats on the planet. Collected mapping data along with data collected using other observing systems and sensors will help us to assess physical, biological, and chemical conditions of the water column, providing insights into water column processes and ecosystems. We hope to assess and identify fish and other marine life, measure biological abundance, characterize the water column habitat, and detect levels of particles (sediment) in the water column. Exploration of the water column of the Cook Islands will help to build a basic inventory of the animals living there, provide a framework to describe ocean characteristics at various depths, and build foundational information to better understand oceanic conditions and inform Cook Islands-led decisions about marine resources.
4. NOAA is committed to working with Cook Islands local communities, decision-makers, members of the scientific community, and others to ensure full access to and knowledge of what is found and learned during and after the cruise. While the cruise is underway, ROV operations will be streamed online in real time; anyone with an internet connection will be able to watch live video from dives and hear experts talk about what they see and learn. In addition to live video, everyone in the Cook Islands and around the world with an internet connection can be part of the cruise through online content posted on oceanexplorer.noaa.gov and social media. Collected data will be provided to the Cook Islands government and will be filed in the public domain, meaning it will be freely available to anyone through the NOAA data archives. Scientific data and information about the deep-sea environments in and around the Cook Islands can help the local government and all Cook Islanders make informed management decisions about their resources. The U.S. partnership with the Cook Islands is grounded in mutual respect and forward-looking cooperation, from science and innovation to marine protection and economic opportunity.

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Goals of the Cruise

The 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise will address science themes and priority areas put forward by scientists and managers from the Cook Islands, NOAA, and the ocean science community. Priorities for the cruise include a combination of science, education, outreach, and open data objectives that will support management decisions at multiple levels. Specific goals include:

• Acquiring data on deepwater habitats of the Cook Islands to support priority science and management needs;
• Identifying, mapping, and exploring the diversity and distribution of benthic habitats, including fish habitats, deep-sea coral and sponge communities, polymetallic nodule fields, and abyssal plains;
• Mapping, surveying, and sampling geological features to better understand the geological context of the region;
• Collecting high-resolution bathymetry in areas with no (or low-quality) data;
• Acquiring a foundation of ROV, sonar, and oceanographic data to better understand the characteristics of the water column and the animals that live there;
• Engaging a broad spectrum of the scientific community and public in telepresence-based exploration; and
• Providing a foundation of publicly accessible data and information products to spur further exploration, research, and management activities.

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Cruise Partners

This cruise is being led by NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority, with partners including the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Management, and U.S. Geological Survey. Funding for the cruise is provided by the U.S. Department State and NOAA.

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Explorers

The individuals listed below are the primary leads for the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise. They coordinate input from multiple scientists and managers participating from shore, are several of the voices you hear on the live video feeds, and are active participants in outreach events.

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Videos and Images

Dive highlight videos, short video clips, and images will be posted online in the cruise multimedia gallery on a rolling basis, as they become available.

Images and video collected during the cruise are in the public domain, meaning they are free to use without restrictions or additional permissions, provided that the credit information listed in the caption associated with each image or video is included. If space is limited, please credit NOAA Ocean Exploration (preferred) or NOAA.

Please contact Emily Crum for high-resolution footage, b-roll, and other materials posted on the NOAA Ocean Exploration website.

For additional information, please view our online media kit.

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NOAA Ocean Exploration Background Information

• NOAA Ocean Exploration is the only federal organization dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its potential through scientific discovery, technological advancements, data delivery, and public engagement. With priority placed on exploration of deep waters and the waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, NOAA Ocean Exploration executes its mission to explore the ocean for national benefit by using the latest tools and technology to explore unknown or poorly known areas of our ocean, making discoveries of scientific and economic value.
• NOAA Ocean Exploration owns the mission equipment being used during the cruise and is coordinating the mission on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. The ship is operated by the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and civilians as part of NOAA’s fleet managed by the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. The remotely operated vehicles and network systems are operated in partnership with the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.
• Unlike many other ocean expeditions supported by NOAA, most of the scientists participating in expeditions on Okeanos Explorer remain on shore, thanks to telepresence technology. This technology includes a high-bandwidth satellite connection that enables the transmission of data and video to shore in real time, allowing scientists to participate in the expedition from anywhere in the world.
• Anyone with an internet connection can follow dives — LIVE. The same technology that allows scientists around the world to participate in the expedition from shore also allows interested members of the public to experience deep-sea exploration, the wonder of discovery, and the fascination of science in real time through the internet.
• Data collected during expeditions on Okeanos Explorer are quality assured and then made available to scientists and the public via the NOAA archives This data collection serves as a unique and centralized national resource of critical ocean information for scientists and resource managers to plan future research, make management decisions, detect natural hazards, improve nautical charts, and more.

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Media Contact Information