While floating mats of Sargassum, a brown macroalgae, provide important habitat for fish and invertebrates, these same mats (which can stretch for miles across the ocean's surface) can cause trouble for NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, clogging the ship's intake and causing the engines to overheat.

On August 27 and 28, while attempting to explore off Puerto Rico as part of the third Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, this seaweed had the upper hand and we were forced to cancel our dives on both days.