Madison Dapcevich

To accomplish the many expedition objectives of seafloor mapping, the Ocean Exploration Trust employs three programs – Fledermaus, Qimera, and Qinsy – produced by the maritime software company Quality Positioning Services. Seafloor mappers aboard E/V…

As a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, Victoria Trevino is no stranger to life at sea. This experience paired with her undergraduate focus in meteorology and oceanography made her an excellent candidate for the Ocean Exploration Trust…

How Ophelia Christoph’s time aboard E/V Nautilus opened doors to broader waters and opportunities When Ophelia Christoph first stepped foot on E/V Nautilus in the summer of 2023, she was no stranger to oceanic mapping. As a Ph.D. candidate in…

For our final mission of 2023, our Corps of Exploration aboard E/V Nautilus set out to map the seafloor near Jarvis Island inside a vast network of protected areas called the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM). To date, Nautilus…

Our current expedition to Johnston Atoll uses the mapping information gathered on our last expedition where we were able to map 27,788 square kilometers in and around this area of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM). In

Fledgling Freddy Data Points Status: At Sea Boat ID: 210301421 From Where: 24 42.5 N 143 1 W Explore with Path Analysis Tool: click here During a mapping transit from Southern California to Hawai’i in October 2021, E/V Nautilus joined forces with…

Over the course of 12 days, the Nautilus team will provide maintenance and support to the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) NEPTUNE observatory, an 800-kilometer (500-mile) loop of fiber optic cable located off the west coast of…

The darkest depths of the world’s oceans are home to some of the most bizarrely creepy features and creatures on this planet. From gurgling hydrothermal vents to cannibalistic lingcod, we’ve put together a compilation of the…

If you’re searching for a Halloween costume then look no further – we’ve got you covered. Take inspo from one of the ocean’s most voracious scavengers, the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii). These slender, pinkish, and exceptionally slimy…

While diving at the "Octopus Garden" at Davidson Seamount in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, we witnessed a shrimp and newborn octopus engaged in intense claw-to-arm combat at 3,200 meters (10,500 feet). In the lower left corner of the…

We are heading back to the Octopus Garden! Between October 13 and 18, 2019, E/V Nautilus will be returning to Davidson Seamount in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) after an eventful discovery last October. Diving at a depth of more…

Imagine our surprise when this “big red jelly” unraveled its eight arms and showed us a beautiful Cirroteuthidae octopus hovering over moon-like terrain! Like something straight out of a sci-fi flick, the reddish hues of this “blob” starkly stand out…

A continuation of our exploration in the U.S. national marine sanctuaries now takes E/V Nautilus to two distinct locations off the coast of Central California. Here, we will work alongside NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and National…

A map is a basic tool for any explorer, and researchers aboard E/V Nautilus are no different! Systematic mapping of the seafloor began more than a century ago and remains an essential component of ocean exploration. Today, our science and mapping…

After a chock-full exploration of the diverse deep-water regions of Baker and Howland Islands and Johnston Atoll, E/V Nautilus is heading back to the mainland! While in transit from Honolulu to San Francisco between September 18 and October 2, our…

Located 20 miles east of Ta’u Island in the South Pacific waters of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, the Vailulu’u Seamount represents a perfect example of the ever-changing and contrasting world that makes up the deepest marine…

Dancing at a depth of around 1,600 meters (5,250 feet), this elegant octopus measures an estimated 1.3 m (4.2 ft) long and entertained our watch team for more than five minutes. “It’s really putting on a show for us,” said a researcher as the…

With multiple spirals and willow-like tendrils, deep-sea Iridigorgia soft corals pepper an otherwise barren seascape with their fine, intricate designs. Our team viewed these stunning curling corals at a depth of 1,660 meters (5,450 feet).…

Nimbly hovering above the seabed, this 1-meter-long prickly shark (Echinorhinus cookie) was spotted by our team at a depth of 660 meters (2,185 feet) near Howland Island in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM). These sluggish…