NOAA Ocean Exploration engages educators, students and the general public to enhance America’s environmental literacy through the excitement of ocean discovery. Dive in here to explore deep-sea phenomena and resources to support classroom instruction and inspire students to better understand our ocean planet.
Explore By Theme
Education theme pages are designed to provide the best of what the OceanExplorer.NOAA.gov website has to offer on a number of popular ocean science topics. Each theme page provides links to background information, lessons, multimedia galleries, career profiles, and information on associated past expeditions.
Topical Fact Sheets
From bioluminescence to deep-sea sampling, find all of the NOAA Ocean Exploration topical fact sheets in one place. Most have been translated to Spanish and several to Portuguese.
View all topical fact sheetsEducational Video Resources
Explore a number of short educational videos on a variety of ocean exploration topics including ocean technology, cold seeps, seamounts and much more!
View all video resourcesDeep Ocean Education Project
The Deep Ocean Education Project website - launched in 2021 - is a one-stop-shop for ocean exploration education resources, combining materials and exploration opportunities from NOAA Ocean Exploration, Ocean Exploration Trust, and Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Learn moreProfessional Development Opportunities
NOAA Ocean Exploration offers several professional learning and development opportunities for educators (grades 6-12) to dive deeper into ocean science and exploration topics.
Learn moreOcean Odyssey Grants
Broadening Access to Ocean Education and Workforce Development
NOAA Ocean Exploration and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation provide funding to support STEM education and workforce development initiatives that advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within ocean science and/or exploration career pathways.
Learn MoreOcean Facts
You asked and our experts answered! This section provides short answers to common and intriguing ocean questions. Learn more
Ocean Exploration Challenges
Quick answers and additional resources on the biggest ocean exploration challenges. Learn more
Octonauts Corner
NOAA Ocean Exploration and Octonauts teamed up to provide deep-sea information to kids of all ages! Learn more
Expeditions
Telepresence-enabled ocean exploration allows you to follow expeditions aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer live. Not sailing today? See when our next expedition is scheduled to catch us live in the future! Learn more
Ocean Careers
Dive into the career profiles of some of our past explorers to learn about a variety of ocean careers available to those interested in working on or in the ocean.
Learn moreNOAA Ocean Exploration Student Opportunities
A key part of our mission is to support the next generation of ocean explorers. Our office offers several opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to join our team and get real world experience as an ocean explorer.
Learn more