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These exotic sea creatures may look like something from the tropical waters of the Maldives or Great Barrier Reef. In fact they can all be found off the coast of Britain.

The stunning images, taken at depths of up to 1,000 metres, reveal for the first time the beauty of some of UK's deepest and darkest waters.

The breathtakingly detailed images of cold water coral reefs, sponge-fields and feather star reefs have been captured on film and video by scientists at Plymouth University.

They form part of a project, funded by the environment ministry Defra and the Department of Trade and Industry, to map the seabed of some of Britain's deepest waters.

A forest of feather-stars

The sheer scale of the underwater reefs, found off the Scottish coast, have amazed marine experts from the university's School of Biological Sciences.

These beautiful life-forms survive in complete darkness anything from 200 to 1,000 metres below the surface.

Plymouth University marine biologist Dr Kerry Howell said: "We are the first humans to see these beautiful areas of the deep sea.

"The reefs we discovered were large and very spectacular in comparison to other reefs we were already aware of.

"What was really special was to the see the fantastic and delicate animals that live deep in their own environment.

"We hope that by putting the images and video we took of these fabulous areas on public display, people will appreciate and admire the UK's deep sea habitats and want to conserve these sensitive areas for future generations."

Red sea urchins

Also photographed by the Plymouth University marine biologists were forests of yellow and orange feather-stars, or sea lilies, stretching for several square miles.

They uncovered numerous red sea urchins - a colour that provides underwater camouflage because red is one of the most difficult colours to see in deep water.

Other images show giant sea spiders mating and a monkfish hiding in sand, waiting to snare its prey.

After almost three months at sea, the team had mapped parts of the underwater mountains and ridges in the Rockall Trough off the north west coast of Scotland.

The pictures were taken by a digital camera capable of withstanding pressures that would be unbearable to divers.

Delicate life-forms live deep underwater

"Advances in technology have allowed us to use cameras in very deep water for the first time," explained Dr Howell.

"These images form part of a large scale deep water study around the UK coast.

"In the summer of 2007 we are hoping to begin work off England's south west coast, where we will be exploring the canyon system at the edge of the continental shelf."

Using the pictures and other data, scientists can assess the potential impact of human activities, which pose an increasing threat to the fragile environment in deep sea locations.

It's hoped the underwater charts, created using a technique called acoustic mapping, in which sound beams are used to detect changes in depth, will inform the future policy on fishing and oil exploration, preserving the beauty of the seabed for generations to come.

The public can see a selection of the best images and video footage at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. The exhibition opens on 21 March and runs for six weeks over the Easter Holidays.

Dr Howell will be giving a public talk at the aquarium on the evening of 21 March.