The Submarine Ring of Fire 2012 NE Lau Basin exploration team onboard the R/V Roger Revelle dove at Fonualei Rift today. Shortly after arriving on the seafloor, small lava towers approximately 5-10 m in height with steep walls rising from the seafloor came into view. A second exploration area revealed large expanses of dead mussel shells (the majority with valves closed) and gastropods shells at the base of several sulfide chimneys. At the final area explored at Fonualei South, we observed white bacterial mats, overlaying mixed lavas and sediment with occasional pillow lava formations. Shimmering water was also observed in a few places, and generally, the water appeared to be murky. As the Quest 4000 continued to explore the site, a most spectacular vent field came into view with large chimneys reaching 35-40 m in height in proximity to each other at a depth of 1,555 m. The site was given the name today of Loloa Kakai, which means “tall people” in Tongan, evocative of the thin, tall chimneys formed near each other found there.