Rare Footage of a Glass Octopus and Other Life Within Deep Sea Coral Reefs Captured by ROV SuBastian

While exploring the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa, the ROV SuBastian (previously) of the Schmidt Ocean Institute ship Falkor captured absolutely remarkable footage of the incredibly diverse array of deep-sea life that live in and around the coral reefs, a vast ecosystem of the deep sea that had otherwise been previously unexplored.

Falkor voyaged to the southern half of the Phoenix Islands Archipelago, to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) with an interdisciplinary team of scientists. The goal was to explore and document never before seen deep-sea ecosystems of PIPA.

One such creature was a stunning, transparent glass octopus floating in the pitch-black water.

This was seen 651m deep at a seamount in Winslow reef complex on Tokelau Ridge in Phoenix Islands Archipelago (US EEZ). During the #PhoenixIslandsCoral expedition Dive 433

via Live Science

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.