Stunning Deep Sea Biodiversity of Bikar and Bokak National Marine Sanctuary

While exploring the deep sea of the Marshall Islands during the NA174 expedition, our team was impressed by both the biodiversity and density of corals and invertebrates that call these waters home. In the first dives ever below the depth of 300m in the National Marine Sanctuary of Bikar and Bokak, the team witnessed ecosystems which have been growing for hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years. From massive corals covered in brittle stars to orange anemones and squat lobsters, take a journey through the animal kingdom of the Western Pacific. Whether you’re a fan of primnoid soft corals, pink bubblegum corals (Paragorgia), or Hemicorallium with calcite skeletons, deep-sea coral lovers will adore this video.

Diving over 3,300 m (10,000+ feet) deep, the team explored with ROVs Hercules and Atalanta to help understand the habitats in the Republic of the Marshall Islands’s first national marine sanctuary, established in 2025. In this compilation video, you’ll learn the difference between some of the types of coral living in total darkness of the deep, as well as the critters that live amongst them thanks to their habitat creation, including predatory sea stars, ctenophores, squat lobsters, and hydrozoans.

The NA174 expedition to explore the deep sea of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.