Projects
We believe the solution to characterizing the entire deep seafloor lies at the intersection of targeted exploration, lower-cost and easier-to-use technology, and a broader community of global ocean explorers. All three of these focus areas working together are needed to dramatically accelerate deep ocean exploration.
Current Projects
Ocean Discovery League launched the Global Deep Sea Exploration Goals in April 2026, an ambitious international effort to visually explore 10,000 strategically selected locations across the deep seafloor.
The Deep Ocean Research and Imaging System (DORIS) is a novel deep-sea camera and sensor system rated to 6,000 meters at a price point of less than $10,000 US dollars.
ODL's flagship capacity-building and mentorship program, Accessing the Deep (ATD), is transforming how early-career individuals gain meaningful entry into deep-sea exploration.
In collaboration with Sharks Pacific and local partners, Denticles & Tentacles teaches youth about ocean engineering, data collection, and marine career opportunities through one-week hands-on workshops.
Our hands on training workshops with DORIS are preparing future researchers to deploy low-cost and accessible technology to further deep sea research in their communities.
Enormous amounts of ocean video have been collected in the last few decades, but little has been viewed or analyzed. We are developing AI-driven tools to dramatically accelerate analysis of existing and newly acquired ocean video and imagery.
The 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment, conducted by ODL, is a baseline assessment of the technical and human capacity for deep-sea exploration and research in every coastal area with deep ocean worldwide.
Partner Projects
Katy Croff Bell participated as an instructor in the inaugural 2022 Deep-Sea Expedition Planning Master Class for the Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA). The mission of COBRA is to accelerate research on the structure, function, resilience, and ecosystem services of the crustal ocean biosphere to inform decision-making.
The Deep Ocean Observing Strategy (DOOS)
DOOS is "an international, community driven initiative that facilitates collaboration across disciplines and fields, elevates a diverse cohort of early career researchers into future leaders, and connects scientific advancements to societal needs. DOOS represents a global network of deep ocean observing, mapping, and modeling experts, focusing community efforts in the support of strong science, policy and planning for sustainable oceans."
Ocean Discovery League is working with OceanX on the strategy and curriculum for its Young Explorers Program including participating in the most recent expedition aboard OceanXplorer providing hands-on research and mentorship opportunities to 15 university students in the fields of storytelling, marine biology, and ocean exploration.
“To understand the full Earth system, we need to understand the deepest parts of the ocean”
Dr. Dawn Wright
Previous Projects
The goal of My Deep Sea, My Backyard was to enable Kiribati and Trinidad & Tobago to explore their own deep-sea backyards using low-cost technology, while building lasting capacity.
In 2019, the MIT Media Lab (MIT), National Geographic Society (NGS), Lindblad Expeditions (LEX) collaborated to create a pilot Deep-Sea Camera System training and deployment program.
The goal of Big Ocean, Big Data was to establish FathomNet, a new baseline dataset optimized to directly accelerate development of modern, intelligent, automated analysis of underwater visual data.