Underwater scene with a manta ray above a sea floor dotted with yellow corals, seen from an ROV.
Coral Community
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue. Download larger version (jpg, 858 KB).
A large ray swims above Primnoid (light pink) and Paramuriceid (yellow) corals during Dive 11 of the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping expedition. This coral community was prevalent at depths between 540 and 410 meters (1,771 and 1,345 feet) during the dive. In the image, fossil reef hardground can be seen interspersed with coarse-grained carbonate sediment.