DEEP Selects Reef in Florida Keys for Habitat Deployment
DEEP’s pilot subsea human habitat, Vanguard, will be deployed at Tennessee Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Installation is planned for the end of April 2026. It will be the first subsea human habitat deployed in the United States in 40 years.
First unveiled in Miami in October 2025, Vanguard is now in the final stages of commissioning, including final outfitting, subsystem testing, and integrated acceptance trials.
Vanguard is designed to enable up to four crew members to live and work underwater for days at a time, enabling extended time on the seafloor for ocean science, monitoring, and conservation.
DEEP selected Tennessee Reef based on environmental, operational, and research criteria. The reef lies within a controlled access conservation area of the sanctuary and is suited to long-term research experiments and seafloor equipment, while ensuring the safety of aquanaut excursions and local recreational activity.
The site provides proximity to coral reef systems and access to deeper surrounding waters of scientific interest. A suitable sand patch was identified for deployment, supported by benthic surveys confirming the placement area is free from living coral and other sensitive marine resources.
Vanguard will be operated from DEEP Station Florida, a shoreside base located in Marathon in the Florida Keys. The main operating base needs to be in proximity to Vanguard’s deployment location to support standard aquanaut evacuation protocol. The station will also serve as the aquanaut training facility and will house emergency hyperbaric medical equipment.
Vanguard is working towards being the first subsea habitat to be classed by DNV, which has provided independent technical oversight from the outset of the project.
Technical facts
Foundation installation depth: 18 meters (59 ft).
Habitat living depth: 14 meters (46 ft).
Configuration: Habitat mounted on a foundational baseplate with tethered surface support buoy.
Material: Steel structure, acrylic windows.