OceanXplorer reveals Africa's deep sea wonders

The pioneering "Around Africa Expedition" arrived at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront harbour last Wednesday, marking the first time the state-of-the-art research vessel, OceanXplorer, arrived in South Africa. 

The expedition, which began on January 30 in Moroni, Comoros, was led by Ocean X, OceanQuest and scientists from African countries, which unveiled a series of discoveries and achievements from the exploration of Africa’s oceans, mapping ecosystems and gathering biodiversity data. 

Vincent Pieribone, co-CEO and chief science officer of partnering company OceanX, said arriving in Cape Town was an exciting milestone for the Around Africa Expedition.

“This city, with its deep maritime heritage and dedication to ocean science, provides the perfect backdrop to present our discoveries and collaborate with Africa’s brightest marine scientists.

“Our mission goes beyond exploration. We aim to inspire the next generation of ocean leaders, develop meaningful partnerships, and contribute valuable data that supports marine conservation worldwide.”

Mr Pieribone said so far, during the expedition, the team had mapped a 33 000 square kilometre  area of the ocean in high resolution.

“That is the size of Lesotho.” 

He said submersibles were sent to three mapped seamounts to collect many samples which have left the vessel and are now with the scientists. 

Among these breakthroughs was the first-ever exploration of a previously unknown seamount south of Walter’s Shoal along the Madagascar Ridge.

In a historic first, the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) conducted a visual survey, revealing a deep-sea ecosystem, home to corals, sponges and deep-sea species never before observed in this area.

The first full dive expedition at Walter’s Shoal uncovered fascinating geological formations and an abundance of marine biodiversity. Video surveys documented carbonate pebbles, deep-sea corals and species such as the Brisingid sea stars, a chimaera, a dumbo octopus, and a moray eel nestled within the rocks. 

Sightings of Brisingid sea stars were a highlight, as they are characteristic of deep-sea ecosystems and serve as important indicators of ocean health. Notably, two kitefin sharks were recorded during another dive in the north aspect of the seamount, to the delight of the team.

Marine scientist Lara Atkinson, who was the team leader for the expedition, said descending 500m into the deep and seeing the seafloor unfold before her eyes for the first time was surreal — “like exploring an underwater fynbos landscape of the Western Cape". 

“Watching a large octopus ‘play catch’ with the submersible’s lasers was a fascinating display of intelligence.”

She said the seamount was 16m to 18m below the sea surface. During the study, they managed to complete four visual surveys along the seamount and collected 196 samples of the water and ecosystems.

She said they also looked at another seamount with a unique deep ecosystem south of Walter's Shoal, which was 2 000 meters at the base.

“It’s probably the first time we have ever had visuals on this seamount, and that was very exciting.”

Closer to home was the seamount at the Aghulas Plateau with “fascinating” seabed features mapped there, she said. However, the strong Aghulas current did not allow the submersible to get to the seamount.

"We are monitoring it and we know there are days when that current will slow down and we could get in there to get first visuals ever of that seamount, so we are hopeful." 

She said while deep sea samples are often new because not many people have explored the deep, the samples take a while to process until they are confirmed.

Ms Atkinson said this was the first time she got to lead an expedition of this nature. Research vessels in South Africa have not yet been able to explore the deep because they do not have the equipment.

“I’m not a big adrenaline junkie…but after I got over the fear, it was the most peaceful and calming experience ever. It felt like an eight-hour holiday from the ship — I was just in awe to be submerged in this ecosystem I’ve worked on for most of my adult life.”

She said equally rewarding for her was welcoming early-career researchers from six African countries aboard the OceanXplorer, many of whom had never ventured beyond coastal waters.

“Seeing them engage with deep-sea science firsthand has been incredibly fulfilling, as they return to their home countries not just as scientists, but as ambassadors for ocean exploration and conservation.”

Sinothando Silungile Shibe, a marine biologist at South African National Parks (SANParks), was one of the team members on the expedition. She said while the team of scientists came with a wealth of knowledge, some of them have never worked on ROVs or even been on boats before, so working on this expedition was an extraordinary experience for them. 

“These open up opportunities for us to work in the field and gain the experience and the skills and increase our confidence in doing our science as well.”

She said going on the submersible for the first time was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Not everyone gets the opportunity to experience the vastness of the ocean in all of its glory and to see different perspectives of the ocean. As someone who works with visual data most of the time, I get to experience the ocean and learn about the habitats, ecosystems and relationships with animals within the ocean, but to be in the submersible and experience that with my own eyes was life-changing. 

“These subs are not attached to the boat so it felt like taking a drive on the ocean floor — like a marine game-drive 500m underwater and I felt like I was going shopping for species we want to use for science.”

During its time in Cape Town, OceanX and OceanQuest hosted guided tours of the OceanXplorer for students, educators and researchers, offering hands-on exposure to marine science and ocean storytelling. 

A new group of 14 young explorers, part of a programme designed to develop emerging talent in ocean-related fields, will set sail from Cape Town for their multi-day at-sea educational experience.

“Africa’s oceans hold untapped scientific potential, with vast ecologically significant marine ecosystems still waiting to be explored. Our collaborations and partnerships aimed to enhance scientific understanding and develop a lasting framework for ocean research across the continent,” said Dr Martin Visbeck, CEO of OceanQuest. “Through deep-sea exploration, cutting-edge data collection, and capacity building programmes, we are empowering African scientists with the tools and knowledge needed to lead the next generation of marine discovery and conservation.”

The Atlantic Sun toured the Ocean Explorer on Wednesday last week during its visit to Cape Town to get a glimpse of some of the boat's features.

OceanXplorer is the most advanced exploration, scientific research, and media production vessel ever built, according to a statement by OceanX.

A former oil and petroleum survey ship, OceanXplorer was completely retrofitted by OceanX and given a new purpose in ocean exploration – designed to be both an advanced research and science lab and a Hollywood-calibre media production studio.

The ship is 87m in length and can accommodate up to 72 people, including crew. 

Ship operations are managed by an experienced crew including the ship’s captain, submersible team, ROV team, science and technology officer, safety officer, helicopter pilot, and deckhands.

Aboard the vessel are a dive centre, three dry laboratories, a media centre, a helicopter deck, and advanced technologies such as OceanXplorer’s CTD tool that allows scientists to measure conductivity, temperature, and depth (i.e. the “CTD”) in a water column.

The vessel also sports three submersibles — one used for science, one for media and an ROV. 

Submersible operations team leader at OceanX Dave Pollock said the science and media submersibles could go a maximum depth of 1000m, and could take three people aboard each — a pilot who sits the back in the middle, and two passengers in the front.

He said the sub used for science had had about 350 dives into the ocean to date, and has different components used for science, including a mechanical arm controlled by the pilot aboard to grab things off the seabed, and tools used to remove samples off the seabed.

"We can also suck up little samples of sea creatures with the suction tool, as well as cameras and lights for the seabed as we drive along." 

The media sub is the older of the two, said Mr Pollock, and had had almost 1 100 dives to date.

He said the sub had been involved in filming and had taken famous film-makers and actors on a trip onto the ocean bed. He said there were cameras fitted on the sub — one with a micro lens for close-up shots, and a wider angle lens for fuller filming. 

With the ROV, the submersible is attached to the ship with a cable and is not manned, said ROV team leader at OceanX, Andrew Craig. He said the ROV is controlled remotely in a room with a pilot and copilot using lots of cameras and light to view the ocean beds on screens in the control room.

Inside the control room on board the OceanExplorer, there are multiple screens with live feeds coming from the ROV for scientists to gather information in real time — "we can see the sides, in front, the back and below, above, and everything that comes back up we record all the time so all that data is captured for the scientists."

He said once the submersible is under water, there are two arms controlled by the copilot, which are used to collect samples, and dropped into chambers to keep them separate.

The ROV is also able to map, as it does not require life support, so it can stay submerged for as long as needed, said Mr Craig. There are two multibeams used for mapping — a shallow one and a deep one — that pushes sand out and bounces it off the seabed, for scientists to paint a picture of what the terrain looks like, he said.

"We can also see the images of the places we mapped on this mission."

The vessel has three laboratories that scientists on board can use for DNA sampling, recording and data analysis.