Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On Thursday, August 20, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer left Rarotonga in the Cook Islands to begin a 29-day expedition to map and explore deep waters in and around American Samoa. During the expedition, the mission team will conduct remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, dives to explore the seafloor and water column and overnight mapping operations, and continuous shore-side participation via telepresence technology.

We expect to explore abyssal plain environments, with a focus on developing a baseline assessment of marine critical minerals, specifically polymetallic nodules, as well as seamount habitats, deep-sea coral and sponge communities, fish habitats, and the water column.Thanks to telepresence technology, NOAA Ocean Exploration invites anyone with an internet connection to watch and listen as members of the science community actively engage and guide each dive.

Today, August 24, the team will conduct the first dive of the expedition on a seamount near the boundary between American Samoa and the Cook Islands. They expect to launch the ROV at approximately 8:30 a.m. SST (3:30 p.m. EDT) and descend nearly 2,400 meters (1.5 miles) below the surface, to reveal the geology and marine life of this underwater mountain.

Barring any weather or technical issues, dives will be conducted daily August 24-September 1 and September 2-September 12. Most days, we expect to deploy the ROV at approximately 8 a.m. SST (3 p.m. EDT), but we’ll share updates if things change.

Join us live at oceanexplorer.noaa.gov!

This week’s tentative 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping expedition schedule
NOTE: All dates, times, and locations are subject to change

August 24: Dive 01 (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. SST): Seamount Dive
August 25: Dive 02 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. SST): Abyssal Plain Dive
August 26: Dive 03 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. SST): Abyssal Plain Dive
August 27: Dive 04 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. SST): Abyssal Plain Dive
August 28: Dive 05 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. SST): Abyssal Plain Dive
August 29: Dive 06 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. SST): Abyssal Plain Dive
August 30: Dive 07 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. SST): Abyssal Plain Dive