In July of 1964, a brave group of pioneers, led by Captain George F. Bond, set out to test the limits of physical endurance and overcome a hostile undersea frontier. Known as SEALAB, the program was a pivotal event for diving and significantly advanced humanity’s ongoing mission of underwater exploration.
Sixty years later, from July 18-20, the Man in the Sea Museum will celebrate the world’s first-ever open-ocean saturation dive and sponsor multiple events honoring the historic efforts of the divers, engineers, logistics, experts, photographers and other support personnel who were vital to the success of the SEALAB program.
In addition to proving the viability of saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods, the SEALAB program introduced the world to the U.S. Navy Aquanauts. These American heroes set the foundation for all future deep-diving capabilities used by military and commercial divers across the globe today.
The 60th anniversary of SEALAB is sponsored by notable organizations including Proteus Ocean Group, The Steckel Family, TUDOR Watch, Gulf Coast Hyperbarics Inc., Copper Collar Group LLC, DEEP Engineering Wonder, AQUEOS Marine Construction and OCEANEERING.
When
- Friday, July 19th
- Dinner: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Boardwalk Beach Hotel & Convention Center.
- Special Guests: SeaLab aquanauts from SeaLab I, II and III, and keynote speaker Fabien Cousteau, aquanaut and ocean conservationist.
- Inclusions: Dinner, drinks and the opportunity to mingle with SeaLab aquanauts.
- Saturday, July 20th
- Location: Man in the Sea Museum.
- Time: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Activities: Free to the public with guest lectures, food trucks, kids’ STEM activities and more.
Who
Aquanauts being honored at the banquet include; Bernie Campoli, Underwater Photographer of SEALAB I; Larry Bussey, Aquanaut of SEALAB III; Fernando Lugo, Aquanaut of SEALAB III; John Kleckner, Aquanaut of SEALAB III; Keith Moore, Aquanaut of SEALAB III; Jay Myers, Aquanaut of SEALAB III; and Martin Harrell, Aquanaut of SEALAB III.
What
The 60th celebration of SEALAB will include a tour of the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) & Naval Diving Salvage and Training Center (NDSTC) on the morning of July 19. A hero’s banquet for the aquanauts will be held in the evening, featuring presentations from the recognized SEALAB aquanauts and special guest speaker, Fabien Cousteau. The finale of the 60th-anniversary festivities will culminate on July 20 with a town celebration and complimentary tours of the museum and SEALAB I open to the public.