20 Incredible Photos Of Life Deep In The Gulf Of Mexico
By Katie Serena
Published January 16, 2018
Updated January 7, 2019
The 23-day exploration by NOAA set out to discover more about the previously-unknown habitat at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, and the marine life that calls it home.
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A mysid shrimp hangs on to the limbs of an umbellula sea pen. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A cusk eel floats past the submersible at 1,585 feet. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A Darwin's slimehead, hovers a few feet off the seafloor. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A long-nosed chimaera fish swims through the dark. The sighting was a first for many researchers on the dive. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A tiny comb jellyfish hovers just above the seafloor. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A tripod fish swims above the seafloor with a parasitic isopod attached to two of its fins. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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This deep-water variety of marine smelt was observed by shocked researchers at 2,953 feet – roughly 4,000 feet shallower than its usual habitat. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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The aptly named sea toad glides across the seafloor at 2.428 feet. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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Researchers were able to catch a glimpse of the elusive dumbo octopus, the deepest-dwelling octopus. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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This deep-sea helmet jellyfish collided with the seafloor after being startled by the submersibles bright lights. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A circle of bamboo coral grows out of the sea floor. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A rock outcrop on the seafloor plays host to a dense community of sea stars. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A tiny snake star is surrounded by coils of larger sea stars, 1,315 feet below the surface. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A fish walks across the seafloor, past a slower moving sea cucumber. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A spider crab rides atop a giant isopod as it enters its tunnel 1,788 feet below the surface. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A colonial tuscarorid phaeodarean feeds on marine snow at 2,300 feet. The "snow" is actually a rain of nutrients, including fish excrement, that drop down from shallow waters.NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A deep-sea squat lobster hangs out on a coral fan. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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A submersible, Deep Discoverer explores a shipwreck first found in 2002. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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Two blind sea lobsters share a deep-sea burrow. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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Two deep-sea red crabs fight, their claws locked in an intense duel over a nearby female. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
20 Incredible Photos Of Life Deep In The Gulf Of Mexico
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Everyone knows the Gulf of Mexico is a beautiful place, but what about the things that lie beneath the surface?
In the last months of 2017, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 21, a team from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association conducted a deep water study of the uncharted alien world that lies on the bottom of the Gulf.
The study, the first in a series of three, month-long studies, set out to explore the diversity of the habitat, as well as create a map of the previously-uncharted seafloor. The team also attempted to discover how vulnerable the marine habitats were, by studying the characteristics of the marine life and their surrounding geology.
The team used a combination of remote-operated submersibles, known as ROVs, and shore-based instruments to explore the depths for the first time.
The photos that they brought back depict the wide range of colorful life forms that inhabit the almost pitch-black depths. While the photos are definitely a first for most viewers, some of the sightings surprised even the researchers themselves.
