Without ever leaving the planet, we can delve into unknown frontiers that defy our imagination. In the unexplored reaches of the world's oceans we can still discover new types of life forms or see places that have never been seen by humans. The designation of the Olympic Coast as a National Marine Sanctuary creates new opportunities for "frontier science". This type of research is technologically challenging and richly rewarding. Although often conducted as "science for science sake", deep-sea exploration can also make important contributions to resource protection and can influence management decisions.

OCNMS conducts, or supports in partnership, several current exploration projects including searching for deep-sea cold-water sponges and corals, and finding submerged cultural resources such as shipwrecks or ancient habitations. Several previous and ongoing projects have provided the groundwork for our present projects. In 1999, OCNMS was part of a national initiative to explore and learn about the ocean and this Sustainable Seas Expedition provided the first opportunity for us to explore the seafloor using a one-person submersible. In 2002 the Sanctuary Quest Expedition traveled through all the sanctuaries on the west coast, this time using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to extend our senses below the surface of the water in order to investigate remote canyons and stacks.

How quickly does the seafloor recover from disturbance? After the laying of a fiber optic cable through the Sanctuary, we have examined the trench annually to record which organisms return and how quickly it takes them to reestablish their numbers. Monitoring this recovery for many years using submersibles and ROV's is providing an opportunity to explore many other aspects of the biology of the seafloor and revealing unexpected discoveries.