Programs

SCUBAnauts International (SNI) offers guided learning by discovery,and with each new exploration, we step into an unknown and excitingexperience. The uniqueness of the SNI program is that it is focused entirely on the young men and women in the program. Our activities center around leadership, community service, social interaction, fitness, environmental science, and citizenship. Through regular monthly marine research SCUBA dives on artificial reefs and other underwater research sites, classroom participation, small group project leadership, extraordinary summer marine research expeditions, field trips, weekend diving excursions and valuable one-on-one mentorship with notable marine research biologists and other adult leaders, we are learning leadership skills that will be beneficial to us the rest of our lives and make us better stewards of our environment.

Young explorers visit aquanauts and astronauts 60-ft below the surface in the world's only underwater ocean laboratory to learn how NASA and NOAA work together to study and explore the oceans and space.

In October, 2007, SNI will embark on a 10 day expedition that will begin with a 6,000 ft descent in deep sea submersibles to explore the flanks of Mauna Kea (Hawaii), climb 13,786 feet to the summit of this tallest mountain on earth, and conclude with the unfurling of the OPERATION: DEEP CLIMB expedition banner on the Space Shuttle, STS-123, in February, 2008.

There are over 200 species of coral and fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The SCUBAnauts perform fish counts as well as survey coral colonies to monitor species distribution, bleaching, algal overgrowth, disease, and other conditions.

SCUBAnauts are required to undergo SCUBA rescue training. As part of SCUBA Life Saving and Accident Management (SLAM), they participate in a thrilling live rescue training operation and helicopter recovery with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Young underwater explorers transplant living corals from nurseries in the Florida Keys to damaged substrates such as ship grounding sites in Key Largo and new seawalls in Key West, giving an abundance of sea creatures a revitalized marine habitat.

Young underwater explorers embark on summer research expeditions to the Florida Keys and Bahamas with USF, FWRI, NOAA, and NASA marine research scientists to study coral reef environments.

The SCUBAnauts train with notable marine research scientists to collect and record data such as temperature, salinity, turbidity, and other data parameters on a series of artificial reefs in the Tampa Bay and Gulf of Mexico, as well as more distant locations on the summer research expedition.

Each year, SCUBAnauts conduct underwater navigation training operations with America's elite Army Special Forces and Navy SEALS, and hone their land survival skills with US Air Force survival instructors in the wilderness of an Air Force survival range.

To prepare youngsters interested in participating in scientific diving, the SCUBAnauts are first certified as Open Water SCUBA divers,  and then Advanced SCUBA divers.  They are also trained in CPR, first aid, emergency oxygen first aid, and SLAM dive rescue.  The older and more advanced SCUBAnauts are also certified for Nitrox and qualified as American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) scientific divers.

One important aspect of the SCUBAnauts program provides opportunities for the youth to educate their community about marine science.  SCUBAnauts demonstrate data collection methodologies employed during their coral reef monitoring activities to the public each year at the FWRI “Marine Quest” open house.