Beyond the Blue: Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping
April 8-May 5, 2025
From April 8-May 5, NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead a 28-day remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and mapping expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to explore deep waters in and around Papahānaumokuākea. During the expedition, the team will work to fill gaps in our understanding of the region by conducting focused mapping and ROV operations in waters deeper than 200 meters (656 feet).
All things permitting, when the ship is not in transit, dives will be streamed most days, April 11 to May 2, from approximately 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. HDT / 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT. Note that dates and times are subject to change. Over the course of the expedition, we expect to dive and explore deep-sea coral and sponge habitats, seamounts, maritime heritage sites, and the water column.
Use of the livestreams is an important component of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer’s mission. Depending on the exploration and operations at hand, content and availability of the video feeds will change. All video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.
All views and opinions expressed in this video feed are those of the speaker and are not attributable to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or other federal agency.
What Are You Seeing?
When the Okeanos Explorer is underway on an expedition, this page will broadcast streams from the ship. What is being shown on the different video streams may change depending on the exploration and operations at hand.
Note that occassionally on the feeds, you will see two red dots – these laser points are 10 centimeters (almost four inches) apart and are used by scientists to determine the sizes of things that they are seeing.
Live Track/Current Position Map
Map data courtesy of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Dive Plan
April 14, 2025: Dive 04: Unnamed Seamount 02 Northwest of Volador Seamount
Dive 04 will take place on the western ridge arm of an unnamed seamount northwest of Volador Seamount. The dive will start at a depth of approximately 1,700 meters (5,577 feet), approximately 450 meters (1,476 feet) below the seamount’s summit. The team will characterize communities of sponges, corals, and marine life along the rift arm and then document transitions between habitat types while moving towards the summit of the seamount. Once on the summit, the team will document any communities present and will collect geological samples and eDNA water samples to further characterize the geology and ecology of the region.
Approximate ROV launch: 8:30 a.m. HDT / 2:30 p.m. EDT
Approximate bottom arrival time: 9:30 a.m. HDT / 3:30 p.m. EDT
Approximate bottom departure time: 3:40 p.m. HDT / 9:40 p.m. EDT
Note that this is a tentative plan and is subject to change before or during the dive.