NOAA Ocean Exploration has three Pacific expeditions running this fall, starting September 22, 2026, focused on mapping unexplored seafloor, deep coral monitoring, and testing new deep-water tools.
Hawaiian Islands, September 22 to October 12
The research vessel Nautilus will explore unmapped ridges and seamounts in the eastern part of Papahanaumokuakea and flat deep-ocean-floor habitat southwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. The team will also place equipment on the seafloor (a benthic lander) along with a low-light camera system to monitor deep-sea coral.
Fiji to Hawaii, September 24 to October 19
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will run sonar around the clock, mapping the seafloor from Suva, Fiji, to Honolulu, with a focus on the waters around American Samoa along the way.
Technology Test, October 28 to November 16
A final expedition off Hawaii and around Johnston Atoll will test new deep-water tools, including a long-range underwater robot, called an autonomous underwater vehicle, designed to operate at significant depth.
Follow updates on NOAA’s 2026 expedition calendar.
Explorer-in-Training Cassie Ferrante cleans multibeam sonar data collected during a 2022 expedition off Puerto Rico. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2022 Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera Demonstration. Rights: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/faqs/
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