During a diving trip in the Caribbean, researchers encounter creatures that are previously unknown to them. They are blue with a soft consistency and are therefore referred to as “blue goo”. So far there are only guesses as to what this is about.
It’s blue, it’s slimy, it’s mysterious: on the sea floor in the Caribbean, researchers have discovered bluish creatures several hundred meters below the surface that have so far puzzled them. At the end of August, a research team from the US weather and oceanography agency NOAA found the previously unknown creatures off the island of St. Croix, which is part of the US Virgin Islands.
The organisms were filmed using an unmanned underwater vehicle operated remotely from the research vessel Okeanos Explorer. The dive trip was broadcast on the Internet, and the researchers commented on the images live. They finally encountered the bluish creatures at a depth of between 407 and 611 meters. “We’ve now seen a multitude of these, and I think it’s a mystery,” said one researcher during the livestream, which is available on video.
“I’m sure it’s not a rock, but that’s all I can say,” joked another member of the research team. There were various nicknames for the bluish sea creatures: “lumpy blue thing”, “blue biomat” or “blue goo” (“Blue Goo”). Some observers speculated that it was either a soft coral, a sponge, or a tunicate – invertebrates also known as sea squirts.
The researchers now want to find out what the “blue goo” is all about. Photos and video recordings are to be sent to sponge and coral experts in the hope that they can identify the organisms. If this fails, the mystery will remain unsolved “until a sample can be taken,” as one researcher commented.
“I think that’s one of the most exciting things about Oceanos Explorer’s expeditions. There’s always at least one thing that amazes you. I think it would be great to find out what this lumpy blue thing is,” said one researcher . The ship “Okeanos Explorer” belongs to the research fleet of the US weather and oceanographic agency NOAA. Parts of the Caribbean were also explored as part of the “Voyage to the Ridge 2022” program.