Exploration | Smithsonian Ocean

A remotely-operated-vehicle explores the sea floor in dim light.

a deep sea jellyfish

Deep Sea Overview

Ever want to explore the deep sea? This overview dives into everything to know about this under-explored world.

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Featured Content

a squid in blue water

Video

Quest for the Giant Squid

One of ten robots that examined an area of 800 cubic kilometers in northern Monterey Bay, over the course of 24 days, in 2006.

Article

Teams of Robots Can Help Us Build 3D Maps of the Ocean

A submersible explores the deep reefs off of Curacao in the Caribbean.

Article

Summer in a Sub: DROP Down to Discovery

Dive through the zones of the ocean to the deep ocean bottom where many strange species live, and there are many yet to be discovered. Explore them in the Deep Ocean Exploration section.

Article

What We DON'T Know About the Deep Sea

A variety of plankton images from the Gulf Stream

Overview

STREAMCODE – Planktonic Diversity of the Gulf Stream

Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.

see all lesson plans see exploration lesson plans

Exploration Articles

A humpback whale breaching in Antarctic waters.

Article

Humpback Whales in Antarctica: What Are the Whales Doing?

Black coral, primnoid coral, and feather stars flourish deep on the pristine Davidson Seamount.

Article

Amy Baco-Taylor: Passionate about Deep-Sea Corals

The Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure was developed to help scientists study coral reef diversity and have now been adopted broadly to study diversity around the world.

Article

Uncovering Biodiversity… with ARMS and a Submarine Claw

A researcher leans off of a boat to tag a great white shark.

Slideshow

Collaborator Research

A brittle star clings to the branches of a deep sea coral

Article

A Brittle Star May Be a Coral’s Best Friend

Grey reef sharks are among the most versatile and tough predators on a Pacific coral reef, but they are also among the most vulnerable species, as they are threatened by wasteful fishing practices like shark finning.

Article

Where the Shark and the Snapper Roam

A dive safety officer keeps a close eye on divers from the surface.

Article

Diving in the Middle of Nowhere

Screenshot from video of a red whalefish swimming in the ocean.

Video

Whalefish Swimming in the Ocean

An algal bloom, also known as a red tide, has converted the ocean's surf to a red color

Article

Scientists Work to Predict and Prevent Algae Blooms

Screenshot from video of an aerial view of the ocean drilling vessel Chikyu.

Video

The Ocean Drilling Vessel Chikyu

The robotic arm of the ROV Quest finds life at an undersea vent.

Slideshow

Deep Ocean Census of Marine Life

A photo of a sea toad specimen.

Article

A Sub and a Sea Toad