Project Abyss
The Italian Underwater Habitat
This one’s relatively recent compared to the others, having taken place in 2005 and 2007 (there were two missions, the first 10 days and the second 14 days). It was a project undertaken by an accomplished Italian diving club, at the price of a cool 1.4 million in total.
Progetto Abissi (Project Abyss) consisted of three identical yellow pods of the type shown above emplaced in an Italian bay at a depth of twenty feet. Two were sleeping space for the divers, one was a general purpose living room and kitchen where the other functions of life could be carried out.
It served as the platform for a game show in 2007, lasting two weeks during which time the aquanauts lived full time underwater. The real significance of this project was its totally private funding. They found a way to profit from the construction and use of these habitats such that they paid for themselves.
It wasn’t sustainable however. Once the show completed its run, funding was withdrawn and the habitats were removed from the bay they’d been emplaced in. What always eludes underwater dreamers is some way to keep the money rolling in that’s necessary to pay for the ongoing operation and maintenance of these structures.
While underwater, aquanauts enjoyed a variety of activities for the entertainment of television viewers at home. Frisbee, golf, a leisurely rest on one of the lawn chairs supplied for them, and even a few games of underwater pool:
All in good fun. But then, all good things must come to an end. To my knowledge the diving club was able to keep the habitats, but I have no further information as to whether or not they have been reused since then. I have found some videos dated later than 2007 but cannot read or understand spoken Italian, impeding my research:
As you can see from the second video, there were plans at one time to merge the three modules into a single larger habitat. At the time of writing I can find no record that this plan was carried out, unfortunately:
That’s all for this time. Take heart, it would seem that with the right pitch it’s possible to fund manned undersea projects as reality show fodder. That’s less than ideal but goes to show how much more affordable it is to put humans underwater than in space.
P.S. I hope my psychiatrist is reading this. I tried to tell her about the underwater Italians living in our oceans, but she just looked concerned and prescribed me something.
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