On the bottom left corner of the world, hidden from the World Map, is the mysterious Deep Sea Research Centre. It's basically composed of three parts; the fight with Bahamut, the descent deep into the Research Centre, and one of FF8's tougher battles, the battle vs. Ultima Weapon.

First thing's first, land on the Research Centre (only attainable with the Ragnarok) and enter it. There, you will see a darkened room, lit up by a mysterious pillar of light in the centre. The light glows for a period of time, and then doesn't. Glows, doesn't glow. Inside this room, you cannot run, but only walk (no matter what); if you walk while the pillar is glowing, you will encounter a random battle, whether you have Enc-None junctioned or not. So, naturally, the trick is to walk only when the pillar isn't lit up/glowing.

Once you reach the pillar, you'll be prompted with a question. Answer with the only choice available: "It's not our will to fight". You'll immediately be forced to fight a Ruby Dragon. BE WARNED: I really hope your levels aren't that high, because if they are, the Ruby Dragon likes to use his really nasty "Breath" attack that does incredible damage to your entire party. If your levels are high, make sure you have Tonberry's "Lvl Down" command equipped and ready to use a.s.a.p. Having Odin in your party is a good idea too, since there's a chance he can take out the dragon in one shot. Also, keep your Vitality very high and cast Protect on everyone (or have Auto-Protect enabled) if your levels are high enough for him to use the Breath attack. Keep in mind that Ruby Dragon is vulnerable to Demi, and absorbs Fire and Wind.

Once you've defeated the Ruby Dragon, another question will be asked, this time with two possible answers. Pick the second answer: "Never". You'll be forced to fight yet another Ruby Dragon. After defeating the second dragon, the final question will be asked, and you'll have to pick between two answers...or so it seems. Beneath the second answer is a hidden, third answer. Move your cursor to the third line, and select it. The King of the GF's is rather flabbergasted, and decides to battle you within the pillar of light.

Bahamut is a decent opponent. If your party is at a high level, Bahamut wil be at level 77 with 71,600 HP! He's strong vs. Poison, and Thunder and Wind have no effect on him. He likes to cast spells like Thundaga, Stop, and Tornado; his big whopper of an attack, Mega Flare, will do around 3,500-5,000 damage to your entire party, depending on what your Levels and Spirit are at. Once you defeat him, you get: 40 AP, the Bahamut card (which card mods into 100 Megalixers!!!!!!!), and the Bahamut GF.

After the battle, the pillar is gone and the room is now....a giant hole in the ground. You can't climb down there yet, for some reason. Leave the Deep Sea Research Centre, get into the Ragnarok, and talk to a person or two on board. Return to the Deep Sea Research Centre, and you'll see that a save point is there; make use of it, and begin the long descent to the bottom of the Research Centre. Having Diablos' Enc-None junctioned is HIGHLY recommended, to avoid the Centre's random battles.

The entire area is made up of six levels. In order to get to the bottom, you'll have to open the seals to each subsequent level by using up stored steam pressure. However, if you use too much steam, you won't have a sufficient amount by the time you get to the bottom. The chart below describes how much RSP, or Reserve Steam Pressure, to use at each level. Note that the numbers that appear on the walls of some rooms are not the same as the Level numbers. "RSP change" denotes by how much the RSP will change after the "Action" in the same row is performed. Negative values indicate that the RSP is expended, while positive values indicate the amount is replenished. Follow the actions at each level to reach the bottom with the maximum RSP remaining.

Action	Location	RSP Change	RSP Remaing
Start	Level 1	+20	20
Open door to Level 2	Level 1	-4	16
Open door to Level 3	Level 2	-2	14
Open door to Steam Room	Level 3	-4	10
Replenish RSP in Steam Room	Level 3	+7	17
Open door to Level 4	Level 3	-1	16
Open door to Level 5	Level 4	-1	15
Open door to Level 6	Level 5	-1	14
Open door to Excavation Site	Level 6	-4	10

(NOTE: If Zell is in your party when you reach the door to the Excavation Site on Level 6, he may offer to handle things himself; DO NOT LET HIM HANDLE IT. If you do, then the entire section from the Door to the Excavation Site to the Bottom of the Excavation Site will have an incredible amount of random battles; a random battle even 8 steps if Enc-None is junctioned, even 4 steps if Enc-Half is junctioned, and every 2 steps if neither is junctioned. Random battles every two steps! And not easy battles, either; very difficult battles, such as Iron Giants, Behemoths, and Elnoyles. So, don't let Zell handle things; just follow the chart given and everything will work out fine)

At level 3, you'll have to manipulate the second console in the room in order to be able to open the door to the Steam Room. If you skip this step you won't have enough RSP at the bottom level. Once you reach Level 6, you must have 10 RSP left after the door to the Excavation Site is opened. Make your way through the underwater area until you reach the very bottom. There's a hidden save point here and a console you can manipulate. Save your game, then go up to the console and press X. If you have 10 RSP left at this point, you will be attacked by Ultima Weapon.

Ultima Weapon is a bugger. Oh yes. He's got some nifty attacks, like "Light Pillar" (9999 damage to one character) and Gravija (reduces 3/4 of the each character's current HP), not to mention that he is FAST. You can draw Regen, Dispel, and Ultima from him, as well as the most powerful GF in the game, Eden (if you don't draw Eden, you can draw it from Tiamat in the Final Dungeon). My personal favourite strategy is to hit Ultima Weapon with Meltdown, cast Aura on Squall (who's pumped up with Str+40% and Str +60%, by the way) and unleash a Renzokuken or two. A single Lionheart is enough to finish Ultima Weapon. If you don't like that strategy, another one is casting Cerberus (to get Double and Triple on everyone) followed by Triple-Haste and Triple-Aura. Make use of your limit breaks. Keep in mind that Ultima Weapon is unaffected by Thunder or Wind damage, though. For defeating him, you get: 100 AP, 100 Ultima Stones, and the Eden card.