Aquarius Reef Base in Key Largo, Florida is a unique ocean science and diving facility within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary providing unparalleled means to study coral reefs and the ocean, to test state-of-the-art undersea technology, to train students, astronauts, and Navy divers, and to engage the imagination of people across the globe in ocean science, coral reefs, conservation, and underwater technology.

The Aquarius Reef Base includes the Aquarius undersea laboratory, an ocean-observing platform with access to real-time data via the Internet, and a shore-based field station. The undersea habitat is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the program is operated out of Key Largo, Florida by the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW).

Aquarius is an underwater laboratory and home to scientists for missions up to 10 days long, but to call Aquarius a home is like calling the space shuttle Discovery a mode of transportation. Aquarius is made to withstand the pressure of ocean depths to 120 feet deep. Presently, Aquarius is located in a sand patch adjacent to deep coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, at a depth of 63 feet. The laboratory is attached to a baseplate that positions the underwater habitat (underwater laboratories are also called habitats) about 13 feet off the bottom. This means that the working depth of those inside the laboratory is about 50 feet deep. Located inside the 81--ton, 43 x 20 x 16.5--foot underwater laboratory are all the comforts of home: six bunks, a shower and toilet, instant hot water, a microwave, trash compactor, and a refrigerator even air conditioning and computers linked back to shore by wireless telemetry! Using Aquarius as a base for research diving expeditions definitely has its advantages.