Actually the phrase "teeming with life" has been used to describe where he is: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/Deep-...

is it really ok to drop the word "maybe" from the front of that quote?

Since the entire article and the point of the whole enterprise is to document that life, I say yes. It's a reasonable rejoinder to "lifeless."

Plus I linked to the article, so it's not like I was being misleading. I was stating my point succinctly.