PANAMA CITY BEACH — In the early days of deep sea diving, a line would pump a mixture of helium and oxygen into a bulky Mark V helmet so divers could reach depths of hundreds of feet, and if anything went wrong on the ocean floor the last sounds the diver would hear would be the shrieking of their own high-pitched voice.
That was the practice before Sealab-1 caused what Bernie Campoli called a “paradigm shift” in the diving world.
“Saturation diving was Capt. George Bond’s vision to start a test that when you went to depth after 12 hours, you would be saturated and the decompression time would be the same as if you stayed 30 days,” Campoli said. “So the practical applications were obvious.”
Sealab-1 allowed mariners to stay under the water’s surface at depths for longer periods of time performing observations, gathering marine biological specimens and working on engineering projects without having to surface regularly to decompress. Campoli was one of the inhabitants during the Sealab-1 Project, developed by the U.S. Navy and constructed at what is now Naval Support Activity Panama City.
Campoli joined several other “diving dinosaurs” Saturday at the Man in the Sea Museum’s 2014 Oyster Bash celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sealab-1 Project, which will occur in the summer.
Each year, the money raised at the Oyster Bash goes to the ongoing Sealab-1 Restoration Project.
Many people don’t know the history of Sealab-1, the large red cylinder on the site of the Man in the Sea Museum, or how much of a part of Bay County’s history lies within its crumbling walls. However, Sealab-1 had a tremendous impact, comparable to development of the “aqua lung” by Jacques Cousteau in the 1940s, not only on Bay County but also on the diving industry across the entire world.
Anyone can climb through Sealab-1, submarines and other exhibits at the museum. Visitors can follow the progress of underwater technology from the genesis of diving in the 1500s to modern underwater habitats. They can see exhibits, dioramas and records that demonstrate how humans learned to survive in the depths, and see videos of how the early diving equipment was used.
Sealab-1, 2, and 3 were experimental underwater habitats developed by the U.S. Navy to prove the viability of saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods of time. The knowledge gained from the Sealab expeditions helped advance the science of deep sea diving and rescue, and contributed to the understanding of the psychological and physiological strains humans can endure.
Though Sealab contributed greatly in advancements in saturation diving, when Campoli started out no certifications, no professional diving instructors and few safety regulations existed. But the dangers of the rough, pioneering diving equipment were lost on some old-school divers.
“That’s just what there was,” Campoli said. “It wasn’t scary. That’s just what you used.”
More about Sealab-1
Sealab-1 was lowered off the coast of Bermuda in 1964 to a depth of 192 feet below the sea’s surface.
It was constructed from two converted floats and held in place with axles from railroad cars. The experiment involved four divers — Robert Thompson, Lester Anderson, Robert A. Barth and Sanders Manning — who were to stay submerged for three weeks. The experiment was halted after 11 days due to an approaching tropical storm. Sealab-1 was commanded by Capt. Bond, also called “Poppa Topside,” who was key in developing theories about saturation diving.
The lab is now on display at Man In the Sea Museum, 17314 Panama City Beach Parkway, near where it was initially tested offshore before being deployed. Its metal hull is largely intact, though the paint is faded to a brick red. The interior has been largely stripped, deteriorated and has be subjected to graffiti over the years.