PRISM: FAQ

Is it for humans?

For many people, the word ‘habitat’ implies a space or place for plants and animals. An underwater habitat is for people - we need to create a special environment in order to spend extended time underwater, so it becomes a habitat for humans. We are the ones inside the aquarium!

How do you get there?

You can enter the habitat by scuba or freediving down to the moon pool (see design). An underwater passageway open to the surrounding water - or by riding in our transfer bell into the docking area. In the former case, you will pass through an airlock where the pressure is adjusted from ambient (the pressure of the water at the depth of the habitat) to 1 ATM (the same pressure as that of air at sea level).

How long can you stay?

The habitat has been designed to accommodate up to twenty-five people for a long weekend, or five people for up to two weeks between resupply missions. Beyond that, there is no limit! (See Engineering and Design).

What do you do down there?

This question is the one that seems to generate the most confusion! While there are many things one could do down there, we are not encouraging people to have planned activities. The space will have lounge spaces, observation areas, a library, some instruments, art supplies, a kitchen, a sound system, basic scientific equipment and other tools and objects that could be put to use if desired. The better question is, what do you do in an aquarium? While scuba diving? On a long sailing voyage? Time seems to stretch out before you when it is not filled with small busynesses, and primes your mind and senses for direct experiences with the world around you. It is that state of open curiosity and wonder that we are trying to nurture in this space.

Okay but why?

Underwater technology should not be used exclusively for resource extraction, war, or even just science. The sea is just as integral to our experience as explorers of this planet as land is - it is simply harder for us to spend time there. In addition to the unimaginable bounty of natural beauty that is discoverable there, we also get to peer across the physical divide that separates us from oceanic life, and to spend time with veritable aliens that have been living in our own world the whole time. Instead of encouraging work and ambition, or mission-driven outcomes, we want to emphasize wonder, and to encourage people to seek out and value awe as a fundamental human experience. The more you look the more you realize how little you know, and each person who joins us will be rewarded by learning more about their place on our planet.

Why not just go to an aquarium or go scuba diving?

This question can be one of the hardest to answer for those who have not had their own immediate experience of a remote place. When there is unbounded time and space for observation, the way you perceive the world around you shifts in an important way. Your senses are heightened, your focus is more attuned, your curiosity and wonder are activated, and questions and patterns reveal themselves the more inspired attention you can give to what you're observing.

Won't it hurt the marine environment?

PRISM will have a minimal impact on the existing marine environment and will be using the best technology, as well as experimenting with new technologies, to encourage reef growth in an expanded area around the habitat.
Our science team and third party auditers have evaluated possible effects that the habitat will have on the environment. In particular, the habitat will be anchored to the seafloor, causing a localized disturbance to infaunal animals in the substrate, and disrupting the natural microbial and sediment layering that exists in those small sites. The structure itself will also alter the light regime in the immediate surrounding area, both from shading and the addition of artificial light, which can affect the community structure of organisms that colonize the area, especially the photosynthesizers. The habitat structure will provide some sound interference between sections of reef, as well as some hydrological changes to the area surrounding it that can affect the supply of larvae and plankton to the reef. It is also a physical impediment to movement of organisms, and may discourage some movement patterns, though many reef inhabitants will be able to pass through or around it. It is also a consideration of ours that the habitat will be a curiosity for many types of reef animals and it may alter some of their natural behavior. We will be carefully monitoring the reef ecosystem prior to, during, and after deployment to ensure that the impacts are minimal, and mitigating these effects so that our presence is net positive on the scale of the whole reef.
Our waste management plan ensures that we will generate the smallest possible volume of waste during habitat stays, and all waste will be transported to the surface, recycled where possible, and disposed of following local best practices on land.
While no underwater structure could be built with zero out impact oning the marine environment, every feature of this habitat is created with the reef inhabitants in mind. For every unavoidable impact, we have plans to increase the reef extent with coral restoration projects, and the whole reef will be under our careful observation and stewardship, allowing us to intervene with proven technologies to increase its resilience in times of stress. We expect the reef to be better off ecologically with us there than not, and our impacts should be smaller than the impacts of scuba diving.

Won't it inspire people to colonize the undersea world, bringing more harm to it?

Importantly, we are NOT trying to colonize the underwater world, and we see no reason whatsoever to do so. We are not developing new technology to make it easier to live underwater; we are using old technology in a new way. Living underwater in great numbers will always be prohibitively expensive given the abundant resources and support for human life that exist on land. We cannot envision any scenario of land use constraints or climate change impacts that would make colonizing the sea a real alternative to land for large-scale human occupation. We are trying to simply BE underwater.

What does the pressure do to you inside the habitat?

Because the air pressure in the interior of the habitat is the same as at the surface, you will only experience minor ear popping from sinus cavity equalization when you are diving down to the habitat and when you are inside the airlock.

Will everyone die in an emergency?

We are a playful bunch, but we take the risk of death, injury, or traumatic events very seriously. We have carefully considered potential failures and designed the habitat to be highly redundant in all safety-critical systems. There will of course be all necessary emergency equipment for every individual present.

How do you get stuff down there?

Most of the objects that are in the habitat will be installed prior to deployment, and so will not need to be brought down individually. For personal belongings, food, and other items that are not permanent, we will have a set of pressure vessels that divers may bring with them, as well as our elevator system which can transport larger objects without the need for a dedicated pressure vessel.

How do you breathe?

We have put a lot of effort into building a particularly comfortable breathing environment inside PRISM. Oxygen is slowly bled into the habitat and the carbon dioxide that we breathe out is removed from the environment using custom CO2 scrubbers that keep the CO2 concentration below 1,000 ppm - the same as a normal, well-ventilated room with people in it (and lower than in many submersibles). The air in the habitat will also be recirculated and filtered to keep the environment as clean as possible. The habitat is outfitted with automatic and manual atmospheric monitors with digital displays in every room, as well as redundant alarm systems. In the event of a life-support emergency, each participant will have an emergency breathing apparatus with enough capacity to allow them to leave the habitat safely.

What happens if it floods?

We take safety incredibly seriously and have plans and backup plans and backup plans for the backup plans for every emergency scenario. We have the ability to isolate the different modules from each other in case of a major flood (which is extremely unlikely - the least likely emergency - but we understand how viscerally scary it is for some). We also have bilge pumps to remove water in the event of a leak. Every person will have their own emergency breathing apparatus, and in the event of a catastrophic flood, would don the breathing unit and ascend to the surface as though they were coming up from a regular scuba dive (but notably without the risk of decompression sickness).

So it is an Airbnb?

PRISM is not an Airbnb. It is not available for rent. It is not a commercial endeavor at all. We will be using a mix of personal selection by the team and a more formal application process to invite people to come spend time with us underwater. Because we are not focused on accomplishing any particular objectives, we plan to use a variety of selection methods for invitations, with an emphasis on inviting those whose backgrounds and interests would not be favored by traditional academic or governmental selection criteria.

When will it be ready to use?

We are all working hard to get PRISM in the water as quickly as possible! On our current timeline, we are aiming for operations to begin in late 2025, and we will be spending the end of the year training crew and running simulations. By early 2026, we should be ready for more people to join us!