The team conducted five dives over the six-day expedition using the pisces submersible.

Scientists from Bishop Museum, the University of Hawaii, and state and federal agencies all joined together for the trip to one of the deepest known coral reefs in the world, in the Au'au channel, southwest of Maui.

They said it's an extraordinary discovery.

Along the way, the team discovered what appears to be a new species of scorpion fish.

And the research project has just begun. The team is planning to head back to the depths several times in the next three years.

---