Close Encounter of the Deep Kind

At 598 meters (1,962 ft) below the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, ROV Hercules encountered a magnificent sperm whale. The whale circled Hercules several times and gave our cameras the chance to capture some incredible footage of this beautiful creature. Encounters between sperm whales and ROV’s are very rare. – http://www.nautiluslive.org

Love the background control room chatter. You can tell how thrilled everybody is, and they’re not afraid to show it. Definitely post your favorite quote in the comments section – mine is “we come in peace!”

More information about the expedition:

In 2015, Dr. Robert Ballard’s Exploration Vessel E/V Nautilus and its Corps of Exploration will embark on their most ambitious expedition season yet, exploring sites ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to British Columbia through late September. Over six weeks of the six-month expedition will be dedicated to exploration and mapping of the Galapagos Rift and the site of the first hydrothermal vent discovery in 1977. The six-month-long 2015 season marks the transition of the vessel and operations of the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) to the west coast of the United States and the Pacific Ocean, concluding over two years of research in the Gulf and Caribbean regions.