National Geographic

Nautilus  Live

Format: Website c.2012
Fig 464a. National Geographic
Nautilus Live

A viewport into the world of a deep sea-diving mechanical Argonaut! Davey Jones' locker is opened by a crew the likes of which would be found in the pages of Jules Verne…be mystified by the priceless relics that the Nautilus reclaims from the dark murky depths of the world's most curious watery  wonderlands.

Reading stories about the recovery of lost treasure or historical relics can be exciting and engaging, but imagine being able to share in the moment of discovery via live video that you control! The Nautilus Live Internet experience offered its visitors the opportunity to peer through the eyes of archeologists as they brushed away years of debris to reveal secrets that had the power to illuminate both our understanding of the world and of ourselves.

National Geographic Society partnered with Bob Ballard and the team of Exploration Vessel Nautilus to bring Internet explorers the thrill and exhilaration of their Summer 2012 expedition to explore the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. During the expedition, they shared discoveries live on the web via telepresence technology.

We strapped on our life jackets and made ourselves a part of the crew by designing the website that featured amazing live content inside a user interface that paid homage to the science-fiction that inspired the fantastic voyages that the Nautilus crew would experience. This clean and easily navigable website design eschewed the confines of conventional CSS and presented the visitor with the historical and analytical findings of one of the world's most ground-breaking oceanic explorers.

Desktop Argonauts were able to view and switch between multiple live feeds and technical data from the robotic submersibles and the intrepid crew. Interacting with the crew on deck, examining recent video and images, and reading the ship's current status and live log findings brought the telepresent adventurer aboard as a virtual expedition stowaway.

Project Services


  • Animation
  • Illustration
  • Video Production
  • Design