Beneath the surface of our oceans lies the deep sea, a vast and mysterious realm teeming with strange creatures, hidden landscapes, and secrets yet to be fully uncovered by human exploration.
Thanks to our innate human curiosity, scientists and researchers have been exploring the deep for hundreds of years but it wasn’t until the 1960s that there was a real breakthrough that would change our understanding of the deep sea and its inhabitants for years to come.
Classified as anything greater than 200m, the deep sea is vastly unchartered yet home to plenty of exotic species, made discoverable thanks to evolving technologies.
How ROVs made the deep-sea discoverable through endurance and science
Using ROVs, scientists were able to reach depths once considered near or impossible. These days, ROVs have become far more advanced than ever before with live HD camera systems, heavy payloads, and the ability to dive deeper than ever before.
“These days we can take part in these kinds of expeditions from shore since it’s now possible to livestream ROV dives.
I’ve been able to get involved with that and even get the ROV to pick up certain samples for me that we’ve analysed afterwards.
There’s plenty of capability that we can harness through remotely operated vehicles”.
– Jon Copley, Professor of Ocean Exploration and Science Communication at the University of Southampton
Meet the experts: How the deep-sea is explored by scientists
Professor Jon Copley joined us on the OrcaPod Podcast to share his experiences with the deep sea. Jon has worked on various exciting projects, his research as a marine ecologist explores life in the deep ocean that covers most of our planet, and his work in science communication brings deep-sea discoveries to global audiences.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
The deepest known part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep is in the Mariana Trench and is 7 miles (11,265 metres) deep under the water’s surface.
Bizarre creatures from the deep sea
Ranking underwater life from the creepiest to damn right bizarre, come with us on a journey to rate the strangest deep-sea creatures of all time.
Common Fangtooth
Firstly we have the Common Fangtooth. Found at 500-2,000m this fish actively seeks out its prey towards the surface. Their long vampire-like teeth create a prison impossible for its prey to escape.
Home: 500-2,000m below | Spooky rating: 5/10
Vampire Squid
Nicknamed as the squid from hell, the Vampire Squid may look devious but it’s all for show. This squid lacks the feeding tentacles that other squids have, so survives on marine snow (biological debris). This is enough to live happily in low-oxygen water with few predators! This sounds like an ideal lifestyle, doesn’t it?
Home: 600-900m below | Spooky rating: 5/10
Sea Cucumber
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This cylinder shaped, vegetable named creature has no brain or eyes which is a great start on the spook-o-meter. As odd as it is fascinating, this invertebrate has become accustomed to pearl fish living inside it for protection, which is anything to make your skin crawl.
Home: 8,900m below | Spooky rating: 7/10
Giant Tube Worm
These heavy worms thrive in hot, mineral rich water that flows out of the deep-sea floor. While they are at risk of predators, Tubeworms don’t need to eat to survive, they live just on their own gut bacteria that transfers sulphur into energy!
Home: 1,900–3,600m below | Spooky rating: 8/10
Hagfish
This jawless, eel-like creature has a leathery yet slimy skin. Predatory fish will avoid this odd creature because it defends itself by emitting copious amounts of slime to escape from threat! The slime expands to 10,000 times its original size in water, which is why it deserves its high rating.
Home: 1,500m below | Spooky rating: 9/10
Beyond the Depths: Harnessing Cutting-Edge Technology to Discover the Deep Sea
From the slimy hagfish to the spooky vampire squid, the mystical creatures of the deep sea set an example of the mysteries lurking beneath the surface. As technology advances, the possibility of exploring these alien-like creatures and their habitats becomes more feasible.
Despite decades of advancement in technology and skill, most of the ocean is still vastly unexplored. This leaves us with plenty of questions, and likely hundreds of thousands unidentified species that we are yet to understand.
Whether you are in the industry or enjoying learning more about ocean exploration from the comfort of your screen, this is undoubtedly an exciting time to witness the secrets of the deep-sea unfold.