The deep sea remains one of Earth’s last true frontiers – an alien world of crushing pressure, perpetual darkness, and secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Recent expeditions have pushed the boundaries of what we know about life far beneath the waves, using cutting-edge technology to venture into places no human has ever seen.
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From methane seeps teeming with unexpected marine life off the coast of Chile, to eerie encounters with sharks feasting in lobster dens, and ghostly giants gliding beneath Antarctic ice, the discoveries are nothing short of astonishing.
A deep-sea robot went to one of the darkest places on Earth – what it found was staggering
The voyage included four unnamed submarine canyon systems and nearly 20 methane seeps off the coast of Chile. A team of scientists has discovered a rich tapestry of marine life along the remote coastline of Chile during a recent expedition aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel, R/V Falkor (too).
Divers set up a camera in a lobster den. What happened next shocked them all...
Researchers studying lobster predation on sea urchins were surprised to record footage of an unexpected urchin predator: sharks.
After setting up a camera in a lobster den overnight – with “strategically placed” urchins inside the den – they were shocked when most of the urchins were eaten by Port Jackson and crested horn sharks.
When scientists lowered a baited camera 1,054 metres into the Caribbean Sea, a shadow appeared out of the darkness
Researchers in the Caribbean made a surprising discovery when they dropped a camera over one kilometre deep during an expedition off Little Cayman.
"It’s time to close you in little guy,” the researchers can be heard saying on the Instagram video as they put the GoPro into its waterproof case ready to drop into the water. “Behave down there.”
When a colossal iceberg broke free from Antarctica, scientists found something staggering beneath it
With the help of a remotely operated vehicle, the researchers discovered a breathtaking world hidden under the ice for centuries. The shots were taken on a mission to explore the freshly exposed seabed left behind by the enormous A-84 iceberg, which dramatically broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf on 13 January 2025.
Vampire in the shadows: see the chilling moment this deep-sea denizen turns itself inside out
As if this body inversion manoeuvre wasn't surreal enough, the ‘vampire squid from hell’ also exudes a cloak of bioluminescent mucous from its crimson body to help deter predators.
Giant 'phantom' animal filmed swimming over the seafloor in Antarctica
A remotely operated vehicle stumbled across the creature – which can reach lengths of up to 10 metres – on an eight-day expedition near the Bellingshausen Sea off Antarctica.
Scientists sink cow 1,629m into South China Sea, then gigantic animal appears out of the gloom
Pacific sleeper sharks, which can grow up to seven metres in length, have never been filmed in this part of the world before, giving researchers vital new clues about the behaviour and distribution of these elusive deep-sea giants.
Peculiar deep-sea creature with huge eyes discovered 3,628m down off Californian coast.
MBARI sent a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) 3,268 metres deep in the Monterey Canyon and came across a cute pink creature with big eyes and a tadpole-shaped body with bumps all over swimming just above the seafloor.