Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystem — Azores Lucky Strike

About this spectacle

At 1,700 metres below the Atlantic surface, the Lucky Strike vent field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge presents one of Earth's most extraordinary spectacles — accessible only by research submersible. In total darkness, the submersible's lights reveal towering black and white smoker chimneys venting superheated, mineral-laden water into the cold deep ocean. Around these chimneys, dense communities of vent shrimps swarm in writhing masses, pale mussel beds carpet the basalt, and tube worms extend feathery plumes into the chemical-rich currents. There is no sunlight here, no photosynthesis — life runs entirely on chemosynthesis, bacteria converting hydrogen sulphide into energy that sustains the entire community. The visual effect is profoundly alien: columns of dark mineral smoke, glittering mineral deposits, and surprisingly abundant animal life thriving in conditions lethal to virtually all other known organisms. It is a window into the deep Earth's geology and a demonstration that life can exist far beyond the reach of the sun.

When to go

Year-round

Getting there

Nearest airport: HOR. Nearest city: Horta.

Booking options

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