First new open-ocean subsea research habitat in 40 years launched

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First new open-ocean subsea research habitat in 40 years launched

The ocean floor is a vast source of potentially revolutionary scientific discovery – yet it remains largely inaccessible. For many marine scientists, they could only dream of living and working underwater. That changes now.

1 July 2026

In this video, New Ů��С��Ƶ CoLab partners with ocean engineering company DEEP to follow the deployment of Vanguard, the first open-ocean, ambient-pressure subsea research habitat built in over forty years. The site is Tennessee Reef off the coast of the Florida Keys. Vanguard will allow scientists and researchers to break free from the strict time limits of traditional surface diving. Featuring an integrated moon pool for entry and exit, it lets aquanauts camp out in the marine canopy of the ocean, embarking on daily 6-to-8-hour dives and processing scientific samples directly inside the habitat without bringing them to the surface.

Welcome to the new era of aquatic humanity.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction: The Goal to Make Humans Aquatic
0:35 – What is Vanguard?
1:15 – Undersea Technology & The Ambient Moon Pool
2:10 – Deploying at Tennessee Reef
2:45 – Revolutionizing Marine Science & Coral Restoration
3:30 – Space Analog & Elite Team Training
4:15 – The Future: Inspiring the Next Generation of Explorers

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