Aquarius: Freediving the Dream - The Amazing Dives of the World

When I was very little, like most girls my age, I dreamed of a very special place to live in. But instead of an enchanted palace, I had something much more compact in mind. A place I could keep neat and tidy all by myself, easy to broom.... brush... polish... and dust. Its maintenance would be minimal.... and it would be surrounded by beautiful gardens that I could tend to. The neighborhood would be full of colorful neighbors, with whom I could share anything from tasty recipes to interesting stories. A great balcony would be a must of course. And most importantly, the view from the back would be simply magical, where I could spend hours enjoying vistas of intoxicating beauty. Best of all, when I grew up, I would not have to leave home because my workplace would be just outside my door. I had decided I would be an ocean explorer, dedicating my life to unraveling its mysteries and preserving its beauty. Little did I know that my dream was already a reality. In 1986, the underwater laboratory and habitat Aquarius was deployed, first to *** British Islands in the Caribbean, and then to its current location in the Florida Keys, where it has been in service since 1992. A habitat is a place where humans can live underwater for long periods of time, thus being able to conduct experiments, test equipment and perform observation of species and phenomena that would be impossible otherwise. And here's how it works! On the surface, a life support buoy holds air compressors, electrical generators and communication systems, and through this umbilical cord, the habitat is supplied with air, electricity and high speed internet. Around the habitat itself, there are redundant air storages that can keep its occupants alive in case they get disconnected from the surface, during emergencies like storms. These structures serve as a foundation to conduct experiments. Now let's take a look inside. On a typical mission, up to 6 Aquanauts live in Aquarius for up to 2 weeks, diving up to 8 hours per day and returning to the habitat. 115 of these missions have been conducted over the years, yielding very important data on a wide variety of subjects, from environmental issues to the life-saving properties of chemicals found only in corals. Furthermore, Aquarius has served as a training base for many NASA astronauts and NAVY divers. For me, visiting Aquarius with its dedicated staff is a powerful and moving experience. And just as fascinating as Aquarius' technical capabilities, is the amount of marine life that calls the habitat home. Just on my first dive, a majestic Stingray awaits me as I reach the bottom, while a short distance away, a colony of tube sponges shows off their perfect shapes. And as I swim under the foundation, I come face to face with Larry, Aquarius' resident Goliath grouper, who at 250 lbs is still a toddler by the species' standard. The school of 7 ft long tarpons that patrols the area rushes by almost touching me, an obvious warning not to trespass on their grounds, and consequently reject my every effort to interact with them. Theirs is a role too serious to indulge in play time with nosy strangers. Nearby, unconcerned by all the territorial bravado, a nurse shark takes a well deserved nap, giving me with enough courage to pet her, which I do with a mix of trepidation and excitement. And every hour on the hour, like some kind of underwater cuckoo clock, thousands of small mackerels swarm the place, resetting the life cycle with their powerful wake. As I ascend through the upper levels, the fish are smaller but more colorful, and each species seems to have found just the perfect spot. The groupers seem quite taken with the shadowy recesses, while the yellowtails love to play alongside the structure, in the open light. And the upper grill is a rich carpet of soft corals and sponges, all of them vying for the title of most colorful. All around, in perfect harmony, metal pipes, nuts and bolts serve as soft beds for fleshy creatures. If ever one wondered what these tropical oceans looked like hundreds of years ago, while they were still pristine and unpolluted, Aquarius is a perfect example of that lost splendor, like a capsule frozen in time. But, regardless of what Aquarius offers as a paragon of cutting edge exploration, it appears it is not enough to justify its survival. Sadly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, has decided to close Aquarius indefinitely. As of December 2012, Aquarius is no longer operational, and its disassembly process has already begun, During our visit to land base, which is traditionally a hub of activity we are met with empty halls and an array of paraphernalia recently removed from the sea. An empty patch of sand on the ocean's floor will be all that remains of this monument to humanity's will to learn and desire to change things for the better. As the sun sets over the Florida Keys' waters, I take my last dive on Aquarius, and find myself unable to shake the feeling that Aquarius' fate is a sign of sad things to come for our planet, things that will be global in scale and inevitable in nature. For now, however, we must find inspiration in Aquarius' shining example, and hope that its demise will help spearhead the fight to save our oceans, the very reason for Aquarius' creation. Fare well Aquarius, and Thank you!