A greeneye fish turns its attention towards the Deep Discoverer. We saw several of these fishes during the dive. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa. Download larger version (jpg, 1.9 MB).
A greeneye fish turns its attention towards the Deep Discoverer. We saw several of these fishes during the dive. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa. Download larger version (jpg, 1.9 MB).
Dive 13: Amphipod
This amphipod, a type of crustacean, was seen while exploring off Pago Pago, American Samoa. This particular ampiphod attacks salps that live in the water using claw-like appendages. Although they are relatively small, they are rather frightening to look at, inspiring deep-sea monsters on the silver screen. Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa. Download (mp4, 27.3 MB)
Today's dive marked the end of 2017 American Samoa Expedition: Suesuega o le Moana o Amerika Samoa. We explored an area near the harbor of Pago Pago, American Samoa, at a site where a population of Nautili (cephalopod mollusks with a chambered shell) has been observed using baited cameras in the Taema Bank area. We dove to a depth of ~460 meters and ascended to 250 meters over the course of the dive. While we did not see any nautili during the dive, but we encountered several species of bottomfishes and corals. We also saw some unfamiliar fauna at mesophotic and sub-mesophotic zones, including potential new species of anemone, brisingid sea star, and octocorals. We ended the dive with a vertical transect to the edge of the wall and an ascent through the twilight water column.
