Under the Arctic Ice: A Svalbard Expedition Science Mission

Less than 1% of the deep sea has ever been seen by human eyes — and what's hiding beneath the Arctic ice is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about polar ecosystems. Beneath the Svalbard ice, deep-sea coral walls and species normally found at 3,000 metres are living just below the surface.

This short film follows marine biologist Dr. Paige Maroni and underwater engineer Tim on a Secret Atlas Expedition Micro Cruise as they pilot a submersible into the fjords of northeast Svalbard, surveying seafloor habitats that have never been documented.

Filmed during a Secret Atlas Expedition Micro Cruise out of Longyearbyen, it shows what real Arctic science looks like from the deck of a 12-guest vessel: planning sessions, Zodiac deployments, recoveries in cold open water, and the moment a coral wall appears on the screen for the first time. Guests on board aren't watching from a distance — they're part of the operation, asking questions, reviewing footage, and seeing discoveries happen in real time.

This is what a small ship Svalbard mission can do that a 60+ passenger ship cannot.