Key West - 2009

The island chain of the Florida Keys lies adjacent to North America’s only living coral barrier reef and the third longest barrier reef in the world. Each year, the SCUBAnauts conduct extensive underwater surveys of the diverse assemblages of corals, sponges, macroinvertebrates, and fish that inhabit the area. Robust scientific methodologies are employed (e.g., benthic quadrats, digital photo-transect surveys, and visual censuses). Additionally, some of the advanced divers were able to learn and practice methods of underwater archaeology on various wrecks around Key West. In 2009, the expedition was limited to Key West because the record number of scubanauts (almost 60!) could not be housed easily in the Upper Keys. Special thanks to the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School for all their support and training assistance!

Florida Keys - 2005, 2007, 2008

The island chain of the Florida Keys lies adjacent to North America’s only living coral barrier reef and the third longest barrier reef in the world. Each year, the SCUBAnauts conduct extensive underwater surveys of the diverse assemblages of corals, sponges, macroinvertebrates, and fish that inhabit the area. Robust scientific methodologies are employed (e.g., benthic quadrats, digital photo-transect surveys, and visual censuses) and the data collected have been used to ground truth satellite imagery and augment databases at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. In addition, the SCUBAnauts explored and entered Aquarius (a unique undersea research lab), helped NOAA scientists care for and transplant coral fragments in Key West, and honed their underwater navigation skills with Special Forces Underwater Operations combat diver trainers.

Bahamas - 2006, 2008

Living aboard a boat for seven days, the SCUBAnauts traversed the Bahamian waters and learned about the tropical biological, chemical, physical, and geological oceanography of the region. The SCUBAnauts collected fish and coral data by day and spent the evenings immersed in hands-on learning projects led by experienced scientists. There was also plenty of time for barracuda fishing and diving with lemon sharks! Land-based activities included instruction on the carbonate-based geology of the region and experiencing the wonderful flair of Bahamian culture.

Jamaica - 2008

The Discovery Bay Marine Lab (DBML) on the island of Jamaica was home to a group of advanced SCUBAnauts for seven days during Summer 2008. DBML is uniquely situated 300 meters from the Jamaican fringing reef crest, and provides exceptional accessibility to environments including a lagoon, mangrove system, shallow back-reef, and fringing reef. The SCUBAnauts conducted experiments using the flow-through system in the lab, collected invertebrate specimens for identification and observation, and were able to SCUBA dive a variety of environments including vertical walls, spur-and-groove formations, and shallow coral reefs. Land-based activities included exploration of Windsor Cave and its speleothems (cave deposits), swimming amongst bioluminescent organisms at Glistening Waters, and touring the remote countryside of Jamaica.

Hawaii - 2007

In October 2007 a group of SCUBAnauts embarked on a ten day expedition that began with a 1,000 foot descent in deep sea submersibles to explore the flanks of Mauna Kea (Hawaii), a climb up to the 13,786 summit of this tallest mountain on earth, and concluded with the unfurling of a SCUBAnaut banner by Commander Dom Gorie on board the Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS-123) in February 2008. While in Hawaii the SCUBAnauts also went SCUBA diving with the massive manta rays off the Kona coast, conducted underwater marine archeology dives with NOAA scientists, and partook in a traditional luau celebration.