NOAA Ocean Exploration

Official @NOAA account for NOAA Ocean Exploration, the only federal organization dedicated to exploring and understanding our ocean.

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

"Storytelling through Animation" webinar TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 10 at 3 p.m. EST!

Deep-sea habitat restoration experts will talk with an illustrator working to bring audiences into the world of ocean restoration with creativity & fun.

Learn more: https://t.co/AHA6fG6DZe

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

This jellyfish is invisible! Well, kind of.

Being transparent in the deep sea can be a challenge: If you’ve eaten any glowing animals recently, their bioluminescence can warn your next prey of your approach. Red internal coloration helps block that light from shining through.

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

The first part of the 2026 Technology Demonstration was a "shakedown" dedicated to testing & calibrating expedition systems & equipment, ensuring that all was in working order before heading out to deeper waters. Learn more about the expedition team here: https://t.co/Cj6J0rYhWl

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Meet Gulf restoration experts LIVE! Join one of three upcoming webinars to learn about a range of topics related to the restoration of deep-sea habitats impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Follow the link for details: https://t.co/AHA6fG6DZe

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Happy #WormWednesday! This bristle worm was seen “dancing” during the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise. These worms have paired, bristle-like appendages called parapodia that give them the appearance of a bristle brush. Dance on, explorers!

https://t.co/tfcd6G9kTs

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Happy World Jellyfish Day! Did you know that #jellyfish don’t have brains? Or that jellyfish aren’t actually fish?

Learn more about these animals and see some of the jellyfish we’ve seen during expeditions past: https://t.co/rbmYWfWS5E

This beauty was seen in 2018 off TX & LA.

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Okeanos has left port, beginning the 2026 Technology Demonstration. During this year’s tech demo, the mission team will test the use and integration of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in routine operations aboard the ship. Read more here: https://t.co/TcOZrOAJLY

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Over the past two years, NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners have mapped an area greater than that of the Great Lakes combined in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone near the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam. Learn more here: https://t.co/in1bQIxGvn

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Happy Halloween! Which of these deep-sea animals would you vote for in a costume contest?

A: Sea urchins with fancy “hats”
B: A monkfish pretending to be sand
C: A crab wearing a sponge

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Our team collects massive amounts of deep-sea data during expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, from video to maps. So where does that information go, and how can you use it? Read about our process here: https://t.co/j62IldTmtZ

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Does your desktop need a fall glow-up? If so, download our crab-tivating November desktop wallpaper calendar. It’s pretty claw-some!

https://t.co/gTSEflzJwA

These crabs were seemingly, but not actually, facing off over a cluster of sculpin eggs (or engaging in a dance battle).

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

During the 2025 shakedown expedition on #Okeanos, we tested a new ROV lighting system. With its tentacles flowing gracefully in the current, this stunning giant sea anemone (Relicanthus daphneae) was the perfect model.

Learn more about this expedition: https://t.co/qQMDa43XYy

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

In spring 2026, after a year-long hiatus from ROV operations, the team on #Okeanos reintegrated ROVs Deep Discoverer & Seirios onto the ship. This work laid the foundation for successful #OceanExploration in 2026 & beyond.

Look back at the ROV shakedown: https://t.co/XKYsq1Lk0z

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

“Holy guacamole, look at this thing!”

Here’s a throwback to 2015, when a team aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer found what remains the largest sponge ever discovered by most measures. Learn more about this sponge in our new Ocean Exploration fact: https://t.co/HC0iM2JMoE

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

eDNA can help us understand the deep sea. To standardize & accelerate the sharing & use of #eDNA data, NOAA launched the Ocean DNA Explorer, an open-source data portal for sharing, exploring, searching, & visualizing marine eDNA data.

Learn more: https://t.co/tByljAuyDK

#ocean

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Is going to sea for work worthwhile? Just ask Brett Woodworth, who sailed on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as an Explorer-in-Training intern in 2023 and returned as a mapping watchstander for our most recent expedition! Read his story here: https://t.co/IWaoK134Aa

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

"Imagine if we had that up here on the surface? Spider-like creatures just flying through the air." Sounds about right for the month of Halloween!

This tiny, “dancing” arthropod was spotted during our 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping Exploration: https://t.co/59Ja1qxhX5

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Teachers of grades 6-12: There's still time to register for several of our fall professional development workshops, "Exploring the Deep Ocean with NOAA!" Learn more and register here: https://t.co/uCSFUiJWI0

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Greetings from the abyss! During the #Okeanos 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise, we captured beautiful video of this cusk eel. Interestingly, despite their long bodies and eel-like shape, cusk eels are not "true" eels.

More images and videos: https://t.co/hEZPLi5JSE

[NOAA Ocean Exploration @oceanexplorer]

Today is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. #DYK that through ocean exploration we can better understand & respond to earthquakes, tsunamis, & other natural hazards?

Learn about the geology/hazards of AK's Aleutian Islands: https://t.co/JEzyyDT3ci

#iddrr