NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer docked at University of Hawaii Marine Center – Pier 35.

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer docked at University of Hawaii Marine Center – Pier 35. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Deep-Sea Symphony: Exploring the Musicians Seamounts. Download larger version (jpg, 3.7 MB).

Finale: Deep-Sea Symphony Expedition Complete
September 30, 2017

This morning, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer pulled into port at the University of Hawaii Marine Center – Pier 35, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Today marks the end of both the Deep-Sea Symphony: Exploring the Musicians Seamounts expedition as well as NOAA’s Campaign to Address Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean NEeds (CAPSTONE), a three-year foundational science initiative to collect deepwater baseline information to support science and management decisions in and around U.S. marine protected areas in the central and western Pacific. Once the ship’s gangway was secured, the various teams worked to wrap up expedition projects, offload supplies and samples, and prepare for tomorrow’s Ocean Exploration Celebration. On Sunday, October 1, Okeanos Explorer and Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor will be open for public ship tours and a dockside education pavilion will also feature educational and interactive exhibits. This one-day public celebration is co-hosted by NOAA, Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), and the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science. NOAA will be celebrating the completion of CAPSTONE; SOI will be celebrating their five-year anniversary; and the University of Hawaii will be celebrating their success in contributing to both operations, including the participation of faculty and students on several of the cruises.