Okeanos Explorer (EX2301): 2023 Shakedown + EXPRESS West Coast Exploration

From April 13-27, 2023 (Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted the 2023 Shakedown + EXPRESS West Coast Exploration expedition (EX2301), an ROV and Mapping expedition to a shakedown the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), video, telepresence, seafloor mapping, and sampling operations aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, as well as explore deep waters off the west coast of the United States.

Operations during this 15-day expedition included the completion of 9 successful remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, which were conducted in water depths ranging from 650 m to 3960 m for approximately 45:34 hours of bottom time and resulted in the collection of 92 samples. This research used data collected during NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer expedition EX2301, led by NOAA Ocean Exploration. Taxonomic identifications provided by the Deep-sea Animal Research Center at University of Hawai'i at Manoa.