Workers in safety gear operate a crane to lift a large white underwater research vehicle on a dock at dusk.
The first 2026 #ONCabyss expedition concluded last week!
Thank you to Canpac Marine Services for providing a safe at-sea home for our team.
Stay tuned for expedition highlights 🛳️
#KnowTheOcean
Share your voice to shape the future of ocean science and exploration — and help accelerate your research!
Your feedback provides an invaluable contribution in our efforts to serve you better.
Fill out the short survey now ✍️ https://bit.ly/4s1TZU1
#KnowTheOcean
A man in a suit pointing at map displayed on a screen in front of a group of professionals.
A group of people touring a technical workshop.
Three professionals examining a large black metal structure.
3/🧵 As one of six Canadian Major Research Facilities funded by the @innovation.ca, ONC’s #ocean observing infrastructure plays a key role in supporting and advancing the nation’s science, society, and industry priorities.
#KnowTheOcean #CDNtech #CDNsci #CDNsky @uvic.ca
🚨DIVE ALERT 🚨ROV Mantis is diving at the Strait of Georgia, 100 metres below sea surface!
ONC and Canpac Marine Services are recovering an instrument platform for maintenance.
Catch the action live 🌊 bit.ly/4s1QVaU
#ONCabyss #KnowTheOcean
🚨DIVE ALERT 🚨 We are continuing our dive objectives in the Strait of Georgia, 165 metres below sea surface!
Catch the action live 🌊 bit.ly/4s1QVaU
#ONCabyss #KnowTheOcean
🚨DIVE ALERT 🚨ROV Mantis is diving at the Strait of Georgia, 165 metres below sea surface!
ONC and Canpac Marine Services are swapping the site’s CTD and deploying a new node.
Catch the action live 🌊 bit.ly/4s1QVaU
#ONCabyss #KnowTheOcean
ROV Mantis underwater vehicle being lowered into the ocean for the Spring 2026 live dive expedition.
🚨DIVE ALERT 🚨ROV Mantis is diving at Folger Deep with a target depth of about 96 metres below sea surface!
ONC and Canpac Marine Services are working on recovering and deploying hydrophones, ADCP, and CTDs.
Catch the action live 🌊 bit.ly/4s1QVaU
#ONCabyss #KnowTheOcean
Underwater robotic arm from ROV Mantis operating near a marine structure covered in sea life during the Spring 2026 expedition.
🚨DIVE ALERT 🚨ROV Mantis is diving at Saanich Inlet, 100 metres below sea surface!
ONC and Canpac Marine Services are working on recovering the base of the Saanich Inlet site’s node.
Catch the action live 🌊 bit.ly/4s1QVaU
#ONCabyss #KnowTheOcean
Remotely operated vehicle Mantis being lowered into the ocean for a dive during the Spring 2026 expedition.
🚨DIVE ALERT 🚨ONC is at Saanich Inlet, aboard the M/V Canpac Valour.
ROV Mantis is diving 100 metres below the ocean surface to recover the Saanich Inlet node—the device that powers ocean monitoring instruments at the site.
Catch the action live 🌊 bit.ly/4s1QVaU
#ONCabyss #KnowTheOcean
People gathered near escalators, dressed in winter clothing, interacting with each other.
Three people engage with a large display about transforming ocean science at a conference booth.
ONC was honoured to welcome The Princess Royal to ONC’s exhibition booth at #OSM26 this week.
We were delighted to showcase the geographical range of ONC’s cabled ocean observatories during HRH Princess Anne’s visit.
#KnowTheOcean AGU (American Geophysical Union)
Missed an ONC presentation or poster at #OSM26?
Stop by booth #9 in the exhibition hall to catch up with the ONC speaker and grab some freebies—while they last.
Full ONC schedule 🗓️ bit.ly/4ret0Vk
#KnowTheOcean AGU (American Geophysical Union)
Valentine card with a pink background, a poem about love for a tube worm, and a detailed image of a white and red tube worm. Deep-sea tube worms spotted at the Endeavour hydrothermal vents, approximately 2,300 metres below the sea surface.
A yellow, triangular, underwater power bar with wires, surrounded by hand-drawn hearts and the phrase 'your love powers me' on an orange background. A node along ONC’s NEPTUNE observatory. It acts like a power bar on the seafloor, providing power and internet connectivity to different scientific sensors.
A brightly lit ship sailing through dark waters at night, surrounded by hand-drawn hearts and the phrase 'you're the light of my life'. The motor vessel (M/V) Canpac Valour from Canpac Marine Services during a major ONC offshore expedition.
Map showing earthquake epicenter near coastal region with concentric circles indicating impact zones and sensor locations. The map image is surrounded by hand drawn hearts and text, "my heart quakes when you wave". A still generated from earthquake data recorded by ONC’s land and seafloor seismic sensors, part of ONC’s earthquake early warning system.
When love and ocean science intersect ❤️
Happy Valentine’s from ONC!
#KnowTheOcean
4/🌊 Feb 8 marks ONC’s 20th anniversary, & we invite you to retrace the journey—from world-leading observatory operations to science at sea, + exploring the wonders of our blue planet.
Dive into the story now 🔗 arcg.is/1qGOX50
#KnowTheOcean #ONC20 #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
Snow-covered mountain peak with scientific equipment including a metal box and solar panels under a clear blue sky.
Group of people dressed in winter gear gathered on snowy terrain near snowmobiles and equipment cases.
Yellow floating ocean monitoring station with instruments on calm sea reflecting clear sky and distant hills.
3/🌊Today, ONC is one of Canada’s Major Research Facilities & operates world-leading observatories in the deep ocean + coastal waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, + Arctic coasts of Canada, along w/ the Southern Ocean.
🔗 arcg.is/1qGOX50
#KnowTheOcean #ONC20 #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
Crew members in blue helmets and orange life vests pull a thick green rope on a ship deck during a coordinated operation. Credit: ONC/Ocean Exploration Trust
Two people working at a control room desk with multiple monitors and a whiteboard under red lighting. Credit: ONC/Ocean Exploration Trust
2/🌊 In 2006, ONC launched the world’s first large-scale interactive portal for real-time ocean monitoring + installed a cabled observatory to deliver live data from the depths of the Salish Sea.
🔗 arcg.is/1qGOX50
#KnowTheOcean #ONC20 #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
Two men working on a scientific device on a workbench.
A white square device with lights on a rocky surface underwater.
A 3D rendering of the main Endeavour hydrothermal vent field in a blue-hue with tall hydrothermal vent towers.
2/🏆 This enabled research into one of Earth’s most hostile environments, unlocking new insights into tectonic plate formation, chemosynthetic food webs, and even offering a glimpse into the potential origins of life on Earth.
#KnowTheOcean #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
A translucent, pinkish sea creature with many legs on a sandy seafloor.
A delicate looking sea creature with feathery appendages attached to a central stalk.
3/🪐 Today, NEPTUNE hosts five nodes, with observatory sites ranging from 20 metres to 2,660 metres—giving us a window into the abyss.
We’re counting down to ONC’s 20th anniversary by sharing milestone moments—more to come!
#KnowTheOcean #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
Map of Vancouver Island with ONC's ocean observing infrastructure depicted by icons off the west coast of the island.
Group of reporters and cameramen wearing blue safety helmets interviewing a man in a blue shirt at an industrial site.
Large blue research vessel docked with a yellow underwater exploration device suspended over the water by a crane arm.
1/🪐 2009 🪐 Wiring the abyss
ONC deployed its second major subsea cabled observatory in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia in 2009.
#KnowTheOcean #ONC20 #CFIfunded #CDNsci University of Victoria
Group of workers in safety gear lifting a large black metal structure on a ship deck under cloudy skies.
3/🏆 The data, available on Oceans 3.0, has been openly accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world since day one!
We’re counting down to ONC’s 20th anniversary by sharing milestone moments—more to come!
#KnowTheOcean #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
Golden sunlight reflecting on calm water near a forested rocky shoreline at dusk.
Close-up of a metal device labeled 'VENUS' with a blue and white logo featuring a stylized shell design.
2/🏆 This node powered scientific instruments and transmitted continuous, real-time ocean data to shore via a fibre-optic cable.
This pioneering observatory was known as the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea, or VENUS.
#KnowTheOcean #CFIfunded #CDNsci @uvic.ca
1/🏆 2006 💻 VENUS cabled observatory goes live + real-time ocean monitoring begins
On 8 February 2006, a large underwater telecommunications power bar—known as a node—was lowered to the floor of Saanich Inlet, a coastal fjord off Vancouver Island.
#KnowTheOcean #ONC20 #CDNsci University of Victoria
4/🚢 “Another exciting step forward as we get closer to finally deploying the observatories. We got thoroughly soaked setting up in the rain but it's a small price to pay to know our systems are working.”
💬 Bradley Wells, ONC project engineer (EIT)
@uvic.ca 🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #PolarScience
3/🚢 Working closely with the @csiccat.bsky.social team, Bradley and Ruchie, braved the frigid #Antarctic waters in immersion suits (aka ‘Teletubbies) to recover the existing observatory off Livingston Island.
@uvic.ca 🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience
2/🚢 They have successfully scouted a new location for a second ONC-@csic.es partnership observatory.
The pair also coordinated with the ONC team in Victoria to test the observatory units + ensure successful data streaming before deployment later this week.
@uvic.ca 🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci
1/🚢 ONC’s intrepid duo, Bradley and Ruchie are hard at work in #Antarctica alongside our partner, @csiccat.bsky.social.
@uvic.ca
🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience
@oceannetworks.ca team is installing the next generation coastal observatory in Antarctica--important data to #knowtheocean
Two hikers with backpacks and trekking poles ascend a rocky mountain slope under a cloudy sky.
Antarctic landscape featuring crystal blue ocean framed by large glaciers and mountains.
3/🚢 Thanks to ONC’s partnership with @csiccat.bsky.social, ONC staff can safely reach Antarctica to deliver year-round, near real-time data on Southern Ocean conditions.
🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience @uvic.ca
Three hikers with backpacks trekking down a rocky mountain slope toward a glacier-covered valley under cloudy skies.
2/🚢 The ONC duo spent the past few days settling in & climbing Mount Reina Sofía to install a radio-frequency receiver—an important step toward deploying two ONC– @csic.es partner observatories.
🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience @uvic.ca
Two people in heavy jackets near icy shore with a red ship visible on the cold sea under cloudy sky.
Group of people in cold-weather gear standing near a red research station by a rocky shore with crates and a ramp leading inside.
1/🚢 Ruchie and Bradley have safely arrived at the Spanish Antarctic base, Juan Carlos I Base on Livingston Island, #Antarctica, with our partner, @csiccat.bsky.social sky.social!
🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience @uvic.ca
Snow-capped mountain peaks illuminated by sunlight above forested hills and a calm blue water.
2/🚢 They are now entering the Drake Passage on their way to the Spanish Antarctic base, Juan Carlos I Station on Livingston Island.
@csiccat.bsky.social @uvic.ca @csic.es
🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience
