Scientists around the world, as well as the general public can now access the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Undersea Research Lab deep-water animal photo guide online. Until recently, the guide was only available to scientists preparing for upcoming dives.

The guide is a collection of over 1,500 images from video-still captures, digitized 35 mm slides and pilot camera photos. It serves as a reference of all deep-water animals encountered during submersible and ROV dives throughout HURL’s 30-year history.

Each image is tagged with a color that indicates the depth at which the representative photo was taken.

“HURL simply wants people to appreciate the amazing variety of life-forms that exist in deeper waters around Hawaiʻi,” said HURL Biologist Christopher Kelley.

In addition to being an aide for future dives, the online database provides a way for scientists and taxonomic specialists to provide feedback and make corrections directly from the website.

For more information, view the guide or read the news release for more.