Thirty-two samples of submerged Nautilus macromphalus shells were recovered in 2008 from Lifou, Loyalty Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Specimens were collected from carbonate-dominated sediment in water depths of 1-3 m. Some specimens were partly buried, whereas others rested on the seafloor. The majority of the specimens (66%) were recovered in a horizontal position, whereas 34% of the specimens were oriented vertically. Some specimens were pristine, with sharp color stripes and little encrustation by algae, cyanobacteria, or epizoans.