In this undated photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, fish are seen on a deep coral reef at Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Photo NOAA, Greg McFall/AP.
Researchers aboard the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration vessel Hiialakai returned this week from a month-long trip to the remote archipelago northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Research Professor Brian Bowen said on Tuesday that divers found algae beds 170 feet (52m) deep that were serving as nursery grounds for juvenile reef fish like parrotfish and butterflyfish.
Most scuba divers are able to only go 100 feet underwater. New diving technology, however, is allowing divers to descend deeper than was possible just a few years ago.
