A mysterious creature has been discovered in the depths of the Indian Ocean, possibly for the first time.

In the muddy waters of the Java Trench — believed to be the deepest point in the Indian Ocean — diver Victor Vescovo has come across an unusual creature during his trip with The Five Deeps Expedition.

As part of a film for the Discovery Channel, Mr Vescovo — who pioneered the expedition — said the jellyfish-like creature “does not resemble anything seen before”.

Chief scientist for the expedition, Alan Jamieson, said the discovery was a “curve ball” and a truly unexpected find during the expedition.

“I normally have a pretty fair idea of what we’re going to see — but every now and again you get thrown this curve ball,” Dr Jamieson told CNN TRAVEL.

“It really looks artificial — it rolls out the darkness and suddenly it turns and you’re like, ‘Jesus, that’s some kind of weird jellyfish.’

“We came to a conclusion it’s called a tunicate, which is a sea squirt. This particular one is called, we think, an ascidian,” he explains.

source: news.au.com