August 11, 2021: Polynoid Worm
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Exploring Deep-sea Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
This polynoid worm was seen on soft sediments at the beginning of the final dive of the Océano Profundo 2018: Exploring Deep-sea Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands expedition. During the dive, we explored the north slope of Mona Seamount near the Puerto Rico Trench. Targeting a maximum depth of 5,000 meters (16,405 feet), this was by far the deepest dive of the expedition, as well as one of the deepest dives ever to reach the seafloor in this part of the world. Despite the depth of the dive, the site was not devoid of life, as we saw sponges, corals, anemones, and even some fishes, as shown in this highlight video.