Ellie Hooper

David Attenborough’s new movie Ocean hit cinemas last week, its release coinciding with the 99th birthday of the revered broadcaster and conservationist. 

When we set out to explore the secrets of the deep sea on our Seamount Expedition, our aim was to survey seamounts, or underwater mountains, using specialist deep sea cameras,…

Today we finally survey a seamount within New Zealand waters. We always wanted to make it here, but the weather was wild and this turns out to be our one opportunity.

The weather’s about to turn so after a couple of dives in the morning on Challenger and some good results, we head for Wellington. It's strange to see land after two weeks at sea.

After an overnight steam to another seamount on Challenger, we’re sending down the camera again. After yesterday, I’m definitely apprehensive that we’re just going to see more of the same destruction, but there's a surprise in store.

We survey for four hours, but we’re just seeing screen after screen of destruction. Everyone suddenly feels exhausted by it, it’s obviously not what we want to see as our lead scientist Kat sums it up. 

We’ve arrived back at Challenger Plateau to finish surveying the sites we had to move on from last week due to weather. The waves are too high to put the gear down so it's time for a break.

We must’ve done something to please the weather gods because it’s another stunning day out in the middle of the Tasman. 

We arrive in the Lord Howe Rise area early in the morning. This is the location where in 2024, a New Zealand owned bottom trawler dragged up 37kg of coral late last year.

Day 9 brings the best conditions we’ve had since we set off. We’re in the middle of the Tasman, not exactly known for its calm waters, but there’s barely a wave.