Scuba Diving Islamorada is Scuba Diving at its Best in the Florida Keys

Aquarius Underwater Laboratory

When scuba diving Islamorada then you have to take the opportunity to see the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory located at Conch Reef.

At present the station stands in just 60ft of water but was built to work in depths up to 120ft.

The laboratory is attached to a base plate that positions the underwater habitat about 12 feet off the sandy bottom. This means that the working depth of those inside the laboratory is about 50 feet deep.

Scientists live in Aquarius during ten-day missions using saturation diving to study and explore the coastal ocean and reefs

The Aquarius Laboratory is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and administered by the National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

The area attracts some of the larger fish such as Tarpons and Jacks, and sharks also have a love for the laboratory site.

Terence's notes

Aquarius Underwater Labratory
Depth: 15-18m (50-60ft)
Visibility: 9-39m (30-130ft)
Novice to experienced
Reef
Fish and predators
Snorkeling: No

Scuba Videos

Islamorada has some very popular dive sites and many have been photographed. Scuba diving videos are probably the most popular method of recording dives and below is a brief video of a typical dive at Islamorada.

This video is at the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory and gives you a sample of what to expect when diving off the Florida coast (Press the button second right on the bottom of the video player to see it in full screen)...