Uploaded March 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
View some of the spectacular underwater footage captured by the Little Hercules remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on July 9, 2010, during the Indonesia-USA Deep-Sea Exploration of the Sangihe Talaud Region expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
The crew launched the ROV at 4d 56.96'N 125d 46.70'E. The dive target was an oddly shaped feature that rose to a depth of approximately 500 meters and had an almost square-shaped and flat plateau. The plateau measured roughly 4,000 by 3,500 meters. It dropped off steeply on all sides to a depth of 1,100 meters below. The top surface was composed primarily of eroded carbonate rock with fine-grained pelagic sediment on top.
The ROV ascended up a steep slope that contained a high biomass of corals, crinoids, shrimp, and galatheid crabs (i.e., squat lobsters). Two of the galatheid crabs were holding a cylindrical-shaped purple object that appeared to be some type of egg case or plankton; many of these unidentified objects floated by the camera throughout the dive.
The top of the plateau was fairly deserted in terms of biomass. Little Hercules did, however, come across two animals that appeared to be either octopi or squid. The ROV also found an approximately one-meter-long stingray and several urchins that appeared to have the ability to climb up corals and sponge stalks.
After canvassing the plateau for a few hours, Little Hercules descended back down the slope in a different location. The slope included a number of interesting geological features and high biomass. The ROV also encountered a school of fish and a sandy area beneath a cliff.
Video courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010.
Source: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/10index/media/movies/0709_rov_highlights_video.html
View some of the spectacular underwater footage captured by the Little Hercules remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on July 9, 2010, during the Indonesia-USA Deep-Sea Exploration of the Sangihe Talaud Region expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
The crew launched the ROV at 4d 56.96'N 125d 46.70'E. The dive target was an oddly shaped feature that rose to a depth of approximately 500 meters and had an almost square-shaped and flat plateau. The plateau measured roughly 4,000 by 3,500 meters. It dropped off steeply on all sides to a depth of 1,100 meters below. The top surface was composed primarily of eroded carbonate rock with fine-grained pelagic sediment on top.
The ROV ascended up a steep slope that contained a high biomass of corals, crinoids, shrimp, and galatheid crabs (i.e., squat lobsters). Two of the galatheid crabs were holding a cylindrical-shaped purple object that appeared to be some type of egg case or plankton; many of these unidentified objects floated by the camera throughout the dive.
The top of the plateau was fairly deserted in terms of biomass. Little Hercules did, however, come across two animals that appeared to be either octopi or squid. The ROV also found an approximately one-meter-long stingray and several urchins that appeared to have the ability to climb up corals and sponge stalks.
After canvassing the plateau for a few hours, Little Hercules descended back down the slope in a different location. The slope included a number of interesting geological features and high biomass. The ROV also encountered a school of fish and a sandy area beneath a cliff.
Video courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010.
Source: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/10index/media/movies/0709_rov_highlights_video.html
