iBB/DBE researchers set out last week for a dive in the Atlantic Ocean to collect samples of the octocoral Leptogorgia sarmentosa. The samples are now being used to investigate the coral’s microbiome through metagenomics and microscopy tools and to cultivate aerobic and microaerophilic bacteria residing inside the animal. This will advance knowledge of the understudied microbiota of octocoral gardens on our Portuguese coast. The cultivated bacteria will be preserved and integrated into the Portuguese Blue Biobank of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact and screened for their capacity to produce novel bioactive compounds of biotechnological interest. This work is developed within the MSc and Ph.D. thesis projects of Mariana Nunes and Joana Couceiro, supervised by Dr Tina Keller-Costa and Prof Rodrigo Costa. The team is proud to hold a sampling permit from the ICNF and Arrábida Nature Park and grateful for help during the dive from MSc student Daniela Silva, dive master João Gaspar, and the H2O Dive Club.