Today, the scene of the ancient disaster is one of the most spectacular places on earth. It has azure waters, cliffs 1000 feet high, whitewashed towns, and an ideal climate. Yet this breathtaking beauty sits on top of a slumbering monster. Miles below this island, molten magma boils in a holding chamber. It is evident from the numerous advertisements for hot springs and mud spa treatments that the hydrothermal system is alive and well. But fortunately, we don’t seem to be in immediate danger here. The volcano shows no signs of current eruptive activity. Telltale warnings are absent. There are no earthquakes and no spewing ash. The monster, it turns out, really is a sleeping beauty. But when you go exploring, sometimes you discover something completely new that changes everything. We take a boat shuttle across the caldera waters to meet up with the research vessel Endeavor and join the expedition for the next few days. To the untrained eye, the Endeavor is just one of the many boats coming and going in a bustling harbor, but inside it's a cutting edge oceanographic laboratory. As we board, the crew is prepping two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) on deck for the first dive ever into the heart of this mega volcano. Equipped with high definition cameras, temperature sensors and manipulator arms to collect samples, the ROVs will be the eyes and hands for the international team of oceanographers and volcanologists. They are after the holy grail: Minoan pyroclastic deposits. 3600 years ago, huge volumes of pyroclastic flows surged over the island and plunged into the sea. If volcanologists Haraldur Sigurdsson and Steve Carey can find these remains underwater, they will be able to better estimate the magnitude of the ancient eruption's fury. The first step begins when the ship sends a beam down to the seafloor to map the crater topography. Next, a pair of "x-ray glasses" penetrates the seafloor to find the ancient layers beneath the surface. For this they bring out the big gun—a seismic air-gun. Only two days into the expedition, the team hits pay dirt. A Minoan deposit layer 30 meters thick. It has a mysterious shape that's never been seen before. They call it the “steps.” The ROVs are soon deployed and confirm the discovery. The evidence begins to roll in. Two days later, the team spots mysterious submarine blocks, some over 650 feet long. And then a completely new discovery—a line of 20 cones—which could literally blow us out of the water. The clues add up to a stunning picture of Thera's awesome power. The expedition exceeds all expectations. And the uneasy feeling returns. It is difficult to imagine the colorful fishing boats, the domed churches, the speeding mopeds and relaxing cafes blasted to bits. But as we shuttle over the glistening back of the beast one last time, the monumental cliffs remind us of the sheer power of Nature. It is a force that shapes all of our lives.