A submerged quarry near the English town of Chepstow has begun work on an underwater human settlement, with the financial backing of an anonymous private investor. The project boldly plans to establish a “permanent human presence” underwater by 2027. The goal is even more ambitious: to live in the ocean, permanently.
A submerged quarry near the English town of Chepstow has begun work on an underwater human settlement, with the financial backing of an anonymous private investor. The project boldly plans to establish a “permanent human presence” underwater by 2027. The goal is even more ambitious: to live in the ocean, permanently.
The project, called Deep, is being worked on by a group of men and women with backgrounds in diving, marine biology, technology, finance, construction, and manufacturing, the Guardian reports .
Mike Shackleford, the head of Deep, does not disclose the cost of the project or the name of the investor. He only notes that it is significantly more than 100 million pounds.
On a 20-hectare site of a former quarry, they are building underwater housing modules, a training school and a platform for mini-submersibles that will transport people to living quarters in the 80-meter-deep lake. These submersibles, known as “sentry vehicles,” will then be used to train scientists—and eventually anyone with the money to rent them—to live under the ocean for much longer and at greater depths than ever before.
The devices can be lowered to a depth of 200m under the sea, where the sunlight zone ends and the ocean's twilight zone begins. Initially, people will be able to stay inside for up to 28 days, then, it is hoped, extend the time to months. "The goal is to live in the ocean forever. To have permanent human settlements in all the oceans around the world," says Shackleford.
Everything Deep makes is built either on site or at an industrial facility in Bristol.
The underwater house has a recreational area in the form of a hemisphere with a diameter of six meters with portholes. Upstairs there is a kitchen and a room that can be adapted for scientific research. Six bedrooms, as well as a fully equipped bathroom with running water and a flush toilet. All this is built of steel specially designed to withstand pressure at a depth of 200 m.
To avoid a repeat of the Titan 2023 tragedy, head of deep-sea diving and training Phil Short said the company is working with Norwegian risk assessment agency Det Norske Veritas to make sure everything is up to par.
