12K views · 285 reactions | Something tranquil as we round out Thursday: Few corals are as recognizable as the beautifully spiral-shaped octocorals in the genus Iridogorgia. These were imaged in 2017 in and around the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. More from the expedition: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1703/logs/photolog/welcome.html | NOAA Ocean Exploration | Facebook

As 2017 winds down, here’s a look back at some of the fish friends we met this year while exploring the Phoenix Islands Protected Area and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument at depths ranging from 300 meters down to nearly 6,000 meters. Documenting fish at these varying depths can provide scientists with insights into the health and viability of an ecosystem. For more from the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs expedition, visit: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ok

It won't be long until we resume operations on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in deep waters around Hawai'i. To get us ready, here's another #PacificRewind, looking back at a swimming blind lobster seen while exploring south of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Named after the Greek poet Homer, this species, Homeryon asper, is one of several in the family Polychelidae, found throughout the world ocean basins. While we don't encounter many of these crustaceans during our exploration, when w