Man in the Sea Museum — Attraction in Panama City Beach

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...

My wife and I come down every year for vacation and this was our first year we finally visited, and we're so glad we did. We came in at 2:30pm on Wednesday 13 April 2022.

There are so many things to see you will need a minimum of 2-1/2 to 3 hours to see it and really appreciate it.

This is the now home of the original SeaLab, and with the help of the friendly staff we got alot of information regarding the history of Navy divers and the first Aquanauts.

There is a 50 minute video which tells the fascinating history of SeaLab and the bada$$ divers and crews who risked their lives in the exploration of the oceans of the world.

There are many original diving suits and other artifacts which showcase the history of diving, and it's actually too much to absorb in one visit. Luckily many of the staff are former Navy divers and they can give you some great insight into many details regarding previous explorers/divers and diving equipment and gear.

There is a very small $6 admittance fee for military and veterans. If you are a former Navy guy or any prior military service this is a must see destination.

They have drinks, snacks, souvenirs including cool T-shirts and sweaters and hats.

A couple of the staff I need to mention are Tim and Carl, both ex-Navy divers, and they have some cool stories to tell.

I would especially like to thank Tim for sharing some of his personal sea-stories from his pursuits in the Navy, and for walking us through many of the different parts of the museum and explaining many stories behind the museum and it's history.

For those of you who are curious this was not only a special treat for me as a former Navy guy, but my wife really enjoyed it very much. I was really tickled how much she enjoyed it and keeps talking about it.

Also, this is a 501c organization and so all proceeds go directly back into the museum.

I cannot overstate how much I recommend a visit here. We will definitely return as there is so much to see. Also I could talk to the staff all day, what a wonderful crew they have!

Thanks again Tim and Carl (Tim is pictured with us).

Bill...

Spectacular! A must for any Scuba Diver, Navy Diver, or history buff interested in diving, deep diving, under sea labs, the history and research of deep diving and the United States Navy which has a Diving Base here in Panama City. Most of the United States early dive research and the under sea labs is in the parking lot. In the museum the central room has a timeline for the research and dive labs with models and a video that reviews the entire history. Many of the employees worked in the Navy Dive Labs and experiments with scuba gear, helox diving and hydrogen mix diving. They come in after the film and answer questions. Surrounding the central rooms are exhibits and almost all the dive gear invented, developed and used since the 1960s as well as the history of diving back to the 1500's. Another exhibits shows how military diving works including secret missions and rescue missions. I was most impressed with the heavy old dive helmets and gear, how they were hooked up for sound and video and how thy got smaller as progress was made. Most of the work was done long before computers. Another good exhibit was about rescuing people and salvaging ships after the Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941. Some of the gear was setup so you could take photos wearing the old helmets and you can enter the first Sealab in the parking lot. The facility was spotlessly clean and they have a nice gift shop. Ages 12 to 99 with an interest in the Oceans, Submarines and diving will have a great visit. This museum gets my highest recommendation.

Todd W. Byars Civilian SCUBA...