MORE THAN A MUSEUM; A FRIENDLY DESTINATION. I tend to pass by the site twice monthly while bouncing back-and-forth between Panama City and New Orleans. The first time I stopped in, I was on a tight timeline, so I just did a quick walk-through and liked it so much, I bought a family membership. Today, I had a three-hour layover of sorts, so I was able to get the full experience. Bottom line up front -- I recommend two hours, minimum, to really maximize the experience.

For a proper visit, you'll want to first watch the 55-minute documentary, which is fascinating, and well-worth the time invested. This will walk you through the whole history of the creation of underwater habitats, and also what it took to get us to where we are now in terms of the ability to be able to live and work underwater for weeks on end.

After the documentary, the museum's dedicated docents, Carl and Jackie, both retired military divers and clearly subject-matter-experts, will answer any questions you may have and provide additional context. It was funny, because after watching the documentary (which was a bit of a nail-biter at times), they seemed to anticipate my question regarding SEALAB III. We had a very candid and enlightening discussion about the good. the bad, and the ugly, regarding the undersea programs' successes and struggles.

The museum itself is unusually warm, accommodating, hands-on, and family-friendly. Guests are strongly encouraged to touch anything and everything on display, there are opportunities to venture inside an actual submarine indoors, and the walk-through of the original SEALAB outside is not to be missed. The complimentary snacks and drinks are a nice touch and so are the kids' tables with crayons and coloring books, etc. As odd as it may sound, even the bathrooms are homey, with some top-notch accoutrements, provided by donors and volunteers. (That's not something you see in many museums.)

I, too, am retired military and as a recreational Divemaster, have spent a fair amount of time underwater across several continents. So naturally, this is all right up my alley. But for those who aren't as "immersed" in this (if you will), the museum still tells an amazing story of exploration and human achievement. Again, I recommend budgeting enough time to watch the video, because after doing so, you'll be able to see just how all nearly every element on display fits into the overall picture, and you'll enjoy the experience that much more.

One of the biggest takeaways, for me, was from an interview in the documentary with a former NASA astronaut, who later lived and worked beneath the waves as one of the pioneers of the original SEALAB. It was preceded by the usual talking points about how 75% of the earth is covered by the oceans, 95% of which remains unexplored. (We get this.) But what I hadn't ever considered was he said in response -- that while the oceans may be vast, and their depths often daunting, the oceans' furthest reaches "are still a million times closer to us, than the moon."

This statement, to me, makes not only a very strong argument for continued undersea exploration, but also illustrates why it may be of great value for us regular folks to take an afternoon to see this museum, and understand why its overall story is so important and relevant to the world we live in.