Applications are open to join the Nautilus Exploration Program for 2026! Formal and informal educators are invited to apply to be Science Communication Fellows while students and early career professionals can apply to our Science and Engineering Internship Program.
Located in the South-Central Pacific, the large ocean state of Cook Islands comprises 15 islands surrounded by nearly 2 million square kilometers of ocean, the vast majority of which remains unmapped and unexplored. This #deepsea region contains extensive abyssal plains, plateaus, and seamounts, and is one of the largest territories managed by a single Pacific nation. Together, these habitats are part of Marae Moana, a large-scale marine managed area that spans the entire Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone, established to balance conservation with economic development. The Cook Islands EEZ is one of the top 20 largest in the world- about the same size as Mexico!
Attention 3D model fans! Some of our talented Corps of Exploration members made 3D printable models of the hydrothermal vents we explored during the NA171 expedition. Check them, and other E/V Nautilus-themed designs, out on Sketchfab.
