image
Bamboo Coral
Seen at a depth of 5,395 meters (3.4 miles) during Dive 06 of the 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping Exploration expedition, this bamboo whip coral, tentatively identified as a Bathygorgia sp., stretched an impressive 1.6 meters (5.3 feet) tall. This observation may be a depth record for this kind of coral.