Colorful jellies often greet us when we dive deep below the surface of Monterey Bay. Traditional methods of studying midwater communities—animals living in the vast fluid universe between the sea surface and the seafloor—involved dragging a trawl net through the water. But with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) we can see these animals' true beauty, and often can see things we wouldn't observe after its been dragged up in a trawl. This purple Solmissus jelly was photographed 700 meters deep by ROV Doc Ricketts last week during an expedition in the waters above the Monterey Canyon. ⠀ ⠀ #jellyfish #jellies #gelata #midwaterbiology #Solmissus #MontereyBay #MontereyCanyon #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #ROV #ROVDocRicketts #RVWesternFlyer #underwaterphotography #marinebiology