T
he bright sun shines down on the
water. It’s hot. Your boat speeds across the water. T e captain slows the boat and drops anchor. Now it’s time to get ready to dive. You and your team put on wetsuits.
You strap on an air tank. You pull on your flippers. You put on your oxygen mask and mouthpiece. You’re ready.
Diving In You fall backward into the water. Your dive partner follows you. Four other divers jump in, too. Most of them are scientists, like you. T e others will keep your tools working. You’re on a mission to find out
how some fish help coral reefs. T is work is part of a reef conservation program. T e goal of this program is to keep reefs healthy. You swim down in the water. Soon,
you see something on the ocean floor. It’s metal and as big as a school bus. Brain corals and sea sponges grow
on its sides. Small fish swim around it. T ey’re eating algae. A small reef shark swims by. T is is your first look at Aquarius.
It’s a lab in the ocean. You’ll live here for the next 10 days.
18 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
FLORIDA Gulf of Mexico Aquarius *
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Entering the Lab You and your partner swim through an opening. Inside, there is a ledge to climb onto. If you sit on the ledge, your upper
body is out of the water. Yet your legs are still in the water. Here, you can take off your mask. You breathe in fresh air. You can’t go into the lab right away.
First, you need to wash the salt water off your skin. T is will keep the lab clean. T en you put on dry clothes. It’s safe to go into the lab now. Once inside, you hear a loud
noise—BURP! Your partner laughs because you are so surprised. “Don’t worry,” he tells you. Sometimes air leaks out the door. It makes that odd sound. It won’t be your only surprise on Aquarius.
Florida Keys
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