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A remotely operated vehicle uses a bright light to illuminate a textured vertical rock wall in the dark deep sea.

2026 ROV Shakedown

Feature

Expedition Plan

May 11, 2026

With the 2026 Mapping Shakedown behind us, it’s time to turn our attention to the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). From May 16 to June 5, 2026, NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners will conduct an ROV shakedown expedition off Hawai‘i on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. This shakedown will stress test every component of the ROV system and their associated systems — mechanical, electrical, and software — to ensure they are performing properly and are ready for the 2026 field season.

Two remotely operated vehicle engineers in blue hard hats perform maintenance on a large white ROV on a ship deck.

What’s a Shakedown?

Simply, a shakedown is an expedition that tests a ship’s mission systems and equipment before a field season. Conducted annually, these tests simulate typical at-sea operations and are critical for ensuring quality data collection and successful expeditions.

Meet the ROVs

ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios operate as a connected, two-body system. While both ROVs are equipped with high-definition cameras, powerful lights, and sensors, they have different jobs. Deep Discoverer is the “lead explorer.” It’s used to capture our stunning, close-up video and collect geological, biological, and water samples. In the background, Seirios hovers above Deep Discoverer, providing additional lighting and a wide-angle view of Deep Discoverer at work. Seirios also absorbs the ship’s motion (heave) from the surface waves, keeping Deep Discoverer stable as it explores.

Together, Deep Discoverer and Seirios allow us to explore the ocean to depths as great as 6,000 meters (3.7 miles).

Remotely operated vehicle engineers working on a large white ROV with ship crew in the background on a ship deck at sunset.

Maintaining and operating remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) Deep Discoverer and Seirios is a big and never-ending job. Here, members of the ROV team prepare the ROVs for the next day’s dive during Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico 2014. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico 2014. Download largest version (jpg, 3.08 MB).

Readying ROV Operations

In 2026, the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI) is providing ROV operations and maintenance and related systems support for expeditions on Okeanos Explorer. At the conclusion of the 2026 Mapping Shakedown, the ROVs were retrieved from the University of Hawai‘i Marine Center, where they spent the off season, marking the beginning of “mobilization.” Mobilization entails preparing the ship for ROV operations and includes bringing the ROVs aboard and integrating them with the newly installed network to enable communications with the deep ocean and the shore. Before leaving the dock, the OECI and ship’s crew will review ROV launch, recovery, and emergency procedures and perform dunk tests to practice launch and recovery, check the buoyancy of the ROVs, and conduct other underwater tests.

A robotic manipulator arm pours water from one clear plastic drinking glass into another on a stand to demonstrate dexterity.

A robotic manipulator arm hovers precisely over a white egg resting on a stand to demonstrate dexterity.

It takes great skill to operate a manipulator arm on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). With the ROVs on deck, pilots can hone their skills with everyday objects like glasses and eggs as shown here during the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. During the 2026 ROV Shakedown, ROV pilots will practice manipulating objects with the arms on remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer in preparation for the sampling and temperature probing tasks anticipated during the 2026 field season. Images courtesy of Art Howard, GFOE/NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts. Download Glasses Image (jpg, 2.21 MB). Download Egg Image (jpg, 2.23 MB).

Once at sea, the team will calibrate the ultrashort baseline (USBL) positioning system so they’ll be able to track the exact locations of the ROVs in the water column. They will then begin rigorous testing of Deep Discoverer and Seirios to ensure that everything — sensors, cameras, sampling systems, and other important components — is in working order. During a series of dives ranging from approximately 300 to 5,500 meters (984 feet to 3.4 miles), they will deploy the ROVs over a variety of seafloor types to practice navigation, situational awareness, sample collection, videography, and more.

An ROV illuminates a rocky structure covered with fan-like corals in the dark deep sea.

Seamounts (underwater mountains) are excellent dive targets for remotely operated vehicle (ROV) shakedowns. Their steep, rugged environments and high-energy currents put ROV piloting and agility skills to the test. Known for rocky outcrops and a diversity of animals, seamounts also present good opportunities for sampling practice. Here, ROV Deep Discoverer explores a high-density coral community on Ellis Seamount in the Geologist Seamounts off Hawai‘i during the 2015 Hohonu Moana expedition. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration 2015 Hohonu Moana. Download largest version (jpg, 1 MB).

A deep-sea ROV uses bright lights to illuminate the remains of a shipwreck and its circular gun tub on the dark seafloor.

Maritime heritage sites are the ultimate test for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) team. These fragile and important resources require high-precision navigation and hazard avoidance. They also provide good opportunities for video engineers responsible for lighting and imaging the sites and the artifacts within to practice their skills. This wreck of a landing ship tank (LST-884) was explored during the 2025 ROV and Mapping Shakedown. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue. Download largest version (jpg, 445 KB).

Watch the Action Live

While these dives will focus on engineering and pilot training and practice, we invite the public to join the journey. Once we achieve our shakedown objectives, we hope to explore seamounts, deep-sea coral habitats, abyssal habitats, maritime heritage sites, and the water column.

All things permitting, dives will be livestreamed most days, May 17-June 4, from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. HST/2 to 11 p.m. EDT. Dates and times are subject to change. Midway through the expedition, dive times may change to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. HST/noon to midnight EDT. Follow us on social media for updates (Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn).

An ROV pilot with a headset monitors multiple glowing screens and controls in a ship’s dark control room.

During the 2026 ROV Shakedown, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) pilots from the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute will operate the ROVs from the front row of the control room on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, like seen here during Windows to the Deep 2019. Viewers watching the livestream from shore will see what the pilots see on their screens — in real time. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2019. Download largest version (jpg, 2.15 MB).

NOAA Ocean Exploration is committed to methodologies and technologies that advance ocean exploration. During the 2026 ROV Shakedown, we will test:

12-hour extended ROV operations
New telepresence tools
A newly positioned transect camera on Deep Discoverer
A new sampling database and its associated protocols
Exploration methodologies to help identify and characterize marine critical minerals, including ground truthing marine critical mineral models

Launching the Field Season

With new systems and new people on board, the 2026 ROV Shakedown is vital to the success of this year’s ROV expeditions. Together, the mapping and ROV shakedowns will ensure that the communications networks, mapping systems, ROV systems, and other scientific equipment are in optimal condition, and that both science and ship personnel are fully trained and ready for the field season.

An orange sea star clings to thin white coral branches, some with small polyps, some without, against the dark background of the deep sea.

Data from the 2026 field season will improve our understanding of the geological context and deep-sea habitats and animal life in the central and western Pacific Ocean. This sea star (Atheraster arandae) was seen eating a bamboo coral (Jasonisis sp.) while diving on Rose Atoll during the 2017 American Samoa expedition. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2017 American Samoa. Download largest version (jpg, 1.29 MB).

Map of the 2026 ROV Shakedown operations plan showing planned dive sites and tracklines around the Hawaiian Islands.

Operations for the 2026 ROV Shakedown on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will focus on waters deeper than 200 meters (656 feet) within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around Hawai‘i and adjacent areas of the high seas in the Pacific Ocean. Plans are subject to change based on weather, engineering progress, and operational constraints. Map courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2026 ROV Shakedown. Download largest version (jpg, 1.34 MB).